


Cursed Child Part 3: Albus & Scorpius

by QueenofThyme



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Fluff, Friendship/Love, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Compliant, M/M, Post-Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-28
Updated: 2016-11-13
Packaged: 2018-08-27 14:42:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 25,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8405641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenofThyme/pseuds/QueenofThyme
Summary: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child continues; Albus Potter & Scorpius Malfoy's friendship progresses into something more during their fifth year at Hogwarts. Cursed Child Compliant. Scorbus orientated.





	1. Anything from the trolley, dears?

"Scorpius!"

"ALBUS!"

The two boys ran to each other excitedly, artfully dodging the students, parents and trolleys, as they made their way across Platform 9 ¾. Harry watched his usually ungraceful son leap over a trolley and zip around some first years, still surprised, even after last year's events, at the intensity of their friendship.

When they finally reached each other, they both paused uncertainly for a split second before Albus pulled his best friend in for a hug. Albus noticed Scorpius seemed tense, but quickly relaxed into it.

Albus suddenly swore loudly. Scorpius quickly jumped back untangling himself from his friend's strong grip. "What? What's wrong? Are you okay?" he asked frantically.

To Scorpius' surprise, Albus started laughing.

"Er…Albus?" he asked confused.

Still laughing, Albus waved his hand. "No, it's nothing, I just realised you're taller than me now. Damn."

Scorpius chuckled. "Can't be more than 2 inches difference. Here –"He pulled Albus to his side, and tried to measure the height difference with his hand.

"No that's not right," Albus laughed. He tried measuring the height difference too but with a vastly different result. They giggled as they both tried measuring with their hands again, playfully wrestling the other's arm out of the way.

Forgetting Rose's hatred toward Scorpius for a moment, he called out to her as she walked by, "Rose, Rose! Measure us - how much taller is he?"

Rose looked from Albus to Scorpius and opened her mouth to say something, but changed her mind and walked off silently, her expression unreadable.

"Oh right, sorry mate." Albus said, patting Scorpius on the back.

Scorpius closed his eyes for a second, reflecting on the embarrassing things he'd said about Rose over the past four years, and shook his head, trying to shake it all from his mind. He opened his eyes to find Albus staring at him curiously. 'Merlin, I missed you," he said and pulled Albus back into another hug. Albus didn't object.

"I missed you too," he whispered so quietly that Scorpius almost missed it.

Draco Malfoy smiled as he watched his son. With Astoria's passing from last summer still fresh, his son's happiness was the sole thing that brought him purpose. He quickly looked over at Harry, worried the father might overreact to their friendship like the previous year, but noticed a similar expression on the other man's face. Their eyes caught for a moment and Draco nodded politely. To his surprise, Harry took this politeness for an invitation and walked towards his ex arch nemesis.

Isn't it funny?" Harry began as he approached Draco.

"What?" Draco asked.

"That after everything we've been through, the fights, the violence, Lord Voldemort"- Draco flinched – "our kids can be so close, so at peace."

Draco smiled. "I'm glad."

"Me too," said Harry as he offered his hand. Draco looked surprised but shook his hand quickly.

Ginny joined her husband's side as the two shook hands. "Draco," she exclaimed, "Good to see you again."

"And you." Draco returned politely, trying to hide his shock at the pleasantries.

Albus and Scorpius slowly made their way onto the Hogwarts Express dragging their trunks behind them. Albus was surprised when Scorpius offered to drag his trunk as well. "Just because you're taller now doesn't mean you're stronger mate." He laughed as he continued dragging his own up the train steps. Scorpius only shrugged.

They quickly found a compartment to themselves and waved to their parents out the window as the train took off, surprised to see them all together. Even after everything that transpired last year, it still seemed strange that the Potters could be civil, even friendly with Draco Malfoy.

"How are you and your dad doing with…" Albus suddenly asked, trailing off, unsure of how to finish the question.

Scorpius, noticed his friend's hesitation and quickly stepped in. "Things are"- he hesitated – " _better_. Another summer without her was the worst though. Being with mum's family over the holidays was nice, but sad. It'll never be like –" he broke off not able to continue, his eyes dangerously close to tears.

Albus shuffled over to Scorpius' side, wrapping his arm around his friend's shoulders. They sat in silence for a few minutes, Scorpius fighting back tears, Albus unsure what to say.

Suddenly they heard approaching footsteps and the unmistakable sound of a rattling trolley. They looked at each other panicked, as their compartment door was slowly opened.

"Anything from the trolley, dears?" called out the trolley lady cheerily, apparently not recalling the incident last year, or purposefully ignoring it.

"No thanks!" they quickly uttered in unison. Both boys breathed a sigh of relief when she moved on, before catching each other's eyes and starting to laugh.

Still in bouts of laughter, Albus reached up to close the compartment door, but before he could turn the lock, it was pulled back forcibly. Albus and Scorpius immediately froze, both with images of the trolley lady, claws out, standing in the doorway.

Their fear was short-lived however as it turned out only to be Rose Granger-Weasley. Albus started laughing again, the adrenaline rush from the moment of fear making him quite giddy. However, Scorpius remained frozen, his pale cheeks turning pink.

Rose looked at Albus with narrowed eyes. "Surely my presence isn't that hilarious to you, cousin?"

Albus giggled, looking over at Scorpius for support, but noticed his stiff posture and pink face instead, and immediately stopped laughing.

Rose looked at her cousin suspiciously before turning to Scorpius. "Scorpius, can I please speak to you outside?" she asked with an obviously forced sweetness.

Scorpius muttered something inaudibly and made to stand up, his eyes on the floor.

"Hang on, what do you need to speak to him alone for?" Albus interrupted, noticing his best friend's uncomfortable behaviour and moving in to defend him.

Rose ignored her cousin and spoke to Scorpius directly again. "Would you like to have this conversation here or outside privately?" she asked pointedly.

"Outside," he muttered nervously, suspecting what was coming.

Albus moved to grab onto Scorpius's wrist as he passed, but ended up holding his hand instead. "Is everything alright?" he asked.

"Yes Albus, it's fine," he said lightly trying to act calm, "I'll be back in a minute." He followed Rose outside, extracting his hand from Albus' carefully.

Rose slammed the door behind Scorpius as he exited the compartment and stared at him accusingly. All pretense of sweetness was dropped.

"Why did you tell Albus we kissed?" Rose whispered angrily.

Scorpius looked down at the floor, his cheeks bright red. He had expected this. "Er...um...I" he stuttered.

"I don't appreciate being lied about, especially to my cousin. He mentioned it to one of our relatives over the Summer and now the whole Weasley family knows. I don't care what kind of tough womanizer act you're trying to play, or if you're just living in fantasies, but for the love of Merlin, leave me and my family out of it!" she said heatedly, her voice rising.

Scorpius, anxious that Albus might be listening responded quietly, "Merlin, I'm so sorry Rose. I wasn't thinking when I said it. I just wanted to, I don't know..." He trailed off quietly, unsure of his own words.

Rose temporarily softened and returned to a whisper "Look Scorpius, I want you to know I'm really flattered by your...um...attentions towards me but I don't feel the same way, and the more you push this, disrespecting my feelings in the process, the less likely I am to want to be around you. If you tell any lies about me again, or try to crack onto me when I've made my boundaries pretty damn clear, don't think I will show you any of the patience and forgiveness I am now, okay? I will hex you with every horrible spell I can think of. Is that understood?" She finished somewhat coldly, her hands shaking slightly with the adrenaline.

"Er…yeah, I mean, yes understood," Scorpius stammered nervously.

Rose smiled. "Good. This year I want to spend more time with my cousin. I've really missed him while he's been spending time with _you_ " she emphasised the last word accusingly, but not unkindly, "So we're going to have to be civil, maybe even friends. Do you think you can handle that?"

Scorpius smiled in return. "Yes, friends, I can handle that."

" _Maybe_ friends" Rose reminded him with a smirk before reentering the compartment to see Albus. Scorpius paused for a minute, unsure what he was supposed to do, before following her in.

"Scorpius!" Albus exclaimed when he entered, "Is everything alright?" he asked again, his eyes darting to Rose sitting across from him.

Scorpius sat down next to Albus smiling. "Yes, everything is alright," he said cheerfully.

Albus looked between Rose and Scorpius suspiciously, waiting for further explanation, but they both said nothing. He frowned, upset about being kept in the dark. Scorpius usually told him everything. Now, apparently, they had secrets.

In Albus' silence, Rose and Scorpius began chatting, awkwardly at first, about their holidays, about Hogwarts, about last year. Albus looked out the window, watching the landscape whiz by, his previous excitement had died suddenly and he felt strangely alone.


	2. Yeah sure, you win.

"You really should be changing into your robes now, boys. We're almost there." Rose suddenly said checking her muggle watch, a gift from her mother. Wizard watches were great for a number of things, but not telling the actual time. She walked to the compartment door abruptly but turned to Albus just before closing the door.

"Can we sit together at breakfast tomorrow? I'll even come to the _Slytherin_ table if I must." She sighed.

Albus looked over at Scorpius' smiling face. "Of course," he said trying to match his friend's smile, "Slytherin table it is."

She rolled her eyes as she left, closing the door behind her.

Albus started pulling his robes and uniform out of his trunk slowly, cursing himself for packing them at bottom of his trunk yet again this year. One of his school shoes popped out suddenly and rolled across the compartment floor. He turned around to pick it up, noticing he was suddenly alone.

"Scorpius?" he called out tentatively, popping his head into the corridor and looking around. Over the heads of younger students running through the corridor in and out of compartments, he thought he saw a flash of light blonde hair but in another moment it was gone. He sighed and returned to his compartment, clumsily changing into his school robes.

Scorpious returned only five minutes later, looking sheepish, fully dressed in his school robes. Albus stared at him, eyebrows raised.

"I had to go to the bathroom," he said casually, as way of explanation for his sudden absence, sitting back down across Albus. Albus shrugged trying to appear as if he hadn't noticed anything odd, not wanting to question it when his friend might be uncomfortable.

The Hogwarts Express started slowing in speed as they approached Hogsmeade station. "We're here!" exclaimed Scorpius excitedly.

"Do you think?" asked Albus sarcastically.

"Yeah," said Scorpius obliviously, "I can see the - Oi!" Scorpius yelled as he realised his friend's joke, nudging Albus softly on the shoulder.

This earned him a rougher shove from Albus, which Scorpius returned by grabbing the other boy in a bear hug so he couldn't move his arms.

"Hey, not fair!" cried Albus. "Find someone your own size."

Scorpius rolled his eyes and let go of Albus gently.

Not one to waste an opportunity, Albus reached up and messed up Scorpius' hair, before dashing out into the corridor. "Last one to the carriages has to unpack the trunks!" he yelled as he disappeared around the corner.

Scorpius quickly chuckled before sprinting after Albus. He may have had the head start, but Scorpius had longer legs now. He caught up to his friend easily just as Albus was exiting the train.

Scorpius leapt over the steps onto the train platform directly behind Albus. He reached out, grabbed his friend by the robe and yanked him back, carefully catching him as he fell backwards, and waiting until he was sure Albus was balanced on his feet, before dashing past him.

He heard Albus swear loudly behind him. Scorpius wondered where he picked up the new vocabulary from. He suspected Albus' uncle, Ron. Maybe his brother James.

With Albus behind him, there was really no competition now, and Scorpius easily made it to the pickup point for the carriages. He almost darted on one before realizing Albus was still a distance away and paused to wait for his friend. He stared sadly at the horse like creatures he could now see attached to the carriage, absentmindedly fiddling with his mother's locket which he'd taken to always carrying in his pocket.

Suddenly he felt himself jerk sideways as someone pulled on his hand. Seeing it was Albus, he let himself be dragged onto the next carriage.

They both collapsed into the carriage, still holding hands. "I win!" yelled Albus cheekily.

Scorpius carefully detached his hand from Albus' and shook his head laughing. "Yeah, sure you win," he said rolling his eyes.

Albus leant on Scorpius panting heavily and trying to catch his breath as the carriage took off. It was only then that Albus noticed the creatures that were now also visible to him.

"Oh hey, I can see the Thestrals now!" he said excitedly before realising what this meant. Suddenly he could feel bile in his throat. He sat quietly for a moment, horrified. He turned to Scorpius hesitantly, "Do you... Do you think it's because of Craig?" he asked nervously, already guessing the answer but desperately hoping for a different explanation.

"Not just Craig," said Scorpius sadly, clutching the locket tightly.

Albus' heart stopped for a moment; he felt the bile rising again. "Oh Scorpius I'm so sorry. That was stupid of me." He swore quietly. "I didn't realise that you were there when…when…" Albus swore again, running his hand through his hair. "Are you okay?" he finally asked, regretting his choice of words instantly.

"It's alright," said Scorpius quietly, "It wasn't so bad actually."

Albus looked at his friend curiously. Scorpius caught Albus' eye and quickly lowered his gaze again, focusing on the locket he was fidgeting with on his lap.

"I mean, it was all horrible, but the _dying_ part"- Scorpius' voice shook – "wasn't the worst of it. It was kind of peaceful compared to the week before when…well when we knew. I guess dad knew long before that but it wasn't until that week that I realised…I was actually going to lose her. That was the worst part, and she was in so much pain. So when she finally…in front of me…it wasn't so bad. I don't know, does that make sense?" Scorpius looked up at Albus anxiously, feeling as if he wasn't quite explaining himself right. He was quite surprised to see tears in Albus' eyes.

Albus just nodded and wrapped his arm around Scorpius, not sure what to say, not thinking there was anything he could possibly to say to make it better. Albus swore silently to himself, desperately trying to think of some way to comfort his best friend.

Scorpius started shaking, and Albus held him tighter in alarm, but he soon realised the other boy was laughing.

Albus pulled away uncertainly. "Um…is everything alright?" he asked cautiously.

Scorpius looked up at Albus still laughing. "Merlin, Albus," he said between laughs, "Since when do you swear like a sailor?"

"I do not!" responded Albus defensively.

"Hate to break it to you, Albus, but you've been swearing all morning. I think you need to admit you have a problem."

Albus swore, then giggled. "Okay, okay. _Maybe_ you're right. _Maybe_."

Scorpius snorted. "You're clearly in denial, but don't worry I know just how to fix this."

Albus narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"I'm creating a swear jar," continued Scorpius "and every time you say something inappropriate, in goes a sickle."

"A sickle! That isn't fair!"

"Hey, I don't make the rules, Albus, I just – "

"You just made up the rules! Just now, in front of me!" shouted Albus laughing.

Scorpius only winked. "Are you sure?" he asked. "Any witnesses?"

Albus scowled humorously, shaking his head at Scorpius. He was relieved to see his friend smiling and laughing again, but still mad at himself for not knowing the right things to say earlier. He hoped Scorpius would feel comfortable opening up to him again, and just hoped that then he might actually be able to find the right words to help.


	3. Oh, I'm off sweets.

When Albus and Scorpius finally reached the Great Hall for the Welcome Feast, they were still laughing. Although they'd moved on from Albus' swear jar - he already owed 3 sickles! - they didn't have any trouble finding something else to laugh at, and something else after that, and something else again after that.

Albus found it was never hard to laugh or smile when it was just the two of them. He shuddered to think what would have happened if he hadn't been sorted in Slytherin with his best friend. Back then, house names seemed so important. Now he realised it wasn't about the house itself but who was in it.

The Sorting Hat ceremony passed fairly quickly (at least it seemed that way for everyone but the nervous first years), with plenty of cheers from all tables as new students joined their houses.

Headmistress McGonagall's start of year speech was much slower, and far less exciting - Albus suspected the wording hadn't changed since his first year at Hogwarts - however she finished with an unexpected additional request.

"All fifth, sixth and seventh years, please remain at your tables after the feast is over, unless you are a prefect or house head in which case you will direct younger students to their dormitories as per usual. I have a quick announcement to make regarding the rest of the year that I hope you will all be excited about. Thank you for your attention and welcome back to Hogwarts."

Scorpius turned to Albus excitedly, ignoring the food magically appearing in front of him.

"I wonder what it is!" said Scorpius.

"No more OWLS or NEWTS?" suggested Albus sarcastically reaching for the Treacle Tart in front of him.

Scorpius ignored his best friend's suggestion, rolling his eyes. "Triwizard Tournament maybe?" he said, flinching as he recalled last year.

"No more potions?" Albus offered dryly with his mouth full.

"Oh be serious Albus, aren't you excited?" asked Scorpius.

"To be honest I'm more excited about the feast right now. Are you going to eat or what?" asked Albus good humoredly.

Scorpius chuckled and shrugged. "Alright alright," he conceded, reaching for a salad - Albus wrinkled his nose at this choice in disgust - "but I bet it's something exciting."

"What are you eating that for?" Albus asked in reference to the greens on Scorpius' plate.

"Oh, I'm off sweets," he said casually.

"You're off sweets?" Albus repeated confused. " _You_ are _off_ sweets?"

"I, Scorpius Malfoy, am currently off sweets, yes," said Scorpius slowly articulating every syllable.

Albus starting laughing loudly, scaring one of the Slytherin first years who had taken a seat nearby. "Okay, sure Scorpius," he said laughing. " _Sure_."

Albus shook his head as he reached for another slice of Treacle Tart. "Off sweets," he said to himself giggling.

Scorpius only smiled. If it were anyone else, he might be irritated at not being taken seriously, but with Albus, he couldn't find anything negative about hearing that laugh.

When the feast finished, Albus and Scorpius watched the younger students slowly dribble out of the hall. They both returned a wave to Lily, Albus' sister, as she glided along the chairs to the exit, her red hair clearly visible over the hordes of students. She stuck her tongue out at her brother James as she gracefully hopped over the trip jinx he had magicked in her path.

When only the older students remained, Headmistress McGonagall cleared her throat loudly.

"Settle down please," she began. "Following the events of last year and the tragic passing of Craig Bowker Jr, we believe older students may benefit from some additional support this year. To that end, we've decided to initiate an anonymous letter writing program."

A couple of groans could be heard from the audience, including a particularly obvious one from James Potter at the Gryffindor table, who was expecting something a little more thrilling. He turned to his best friend Connor, his eyebrows raised as if to say "This? _This_ is it?"

"Alright," said McGonagall, "It may sound dull, but what we are offering you is the chance to develop a new friendship in a different house without any expectations or pressures. This means -"

"But what if you get a _Slytherin_?" called out James Potter loudly, miming throwing up, and then winking at his brother. Albus narrowed his eyes in response.

"Thank you Mr. Potter for displaying exactly why this is needed. Animosity between houses is not encouraged here at Hogwarts and we hope that this helps _all_ of you" - she looked pointedly at James - "learn something about yourselves and someone not so different from you."

"Half of you will find enchanted parchment in your dormitories tonight. The parchment is enchanted to automatically disguise your handwriting and will not allow you to reveal any identifying details about yourself such as name, house, age or specific details about your appearance. Once you have written a letter, it will find its way to your randomly selected partner. The other half of you should eagerly await your first letter!"

"Participation is mandatory until the end of November at which point you may decide to continue writing or cease your communication. Good luck and goodnight." The Headmistress finished with a flourish, ignoring the less than eager faces in the audience, and heading towards James to reprimand him for his interruptions.

Albus turned to Scorpius to gauge his reaction, and found his friend clearly deep in thought.

"Scorpius? You still excited?" he asked tentatively.

"Yeah yeah, it will be great to have someone to talk to about...about things." Scorpius said absentmindedly.

Albus frowned. "You know you can always talk to me right, mate?" he said concerned.

Scorpius blinked and awoke from his daze. "Oh yeah of course, yeah I know." He smiled at his friend, but Albus could sense he was holding back something.

Rather than pushing it, he asked instead "Does swearing in letters count?"

Scorpius chuckled and nodded.

Albus swore.


	4. Whatever you say

After a long exhausting walk to the Slytherin dormitories, Scorpius collapsed on his four poster bed, the same one since the second night of first year. He'd let Albus trade with him after the first night, as Albus didn't want to be the closest to the window - the shadows of the trees had frightened him.

Albus followed not far behind, but just as he was about to mimic Scorpius' actions on his own bed, he caught sight of the others boy's bedside table. A single piece of parchment lay flat on top.

"Oooh looks like you're up first," he said excitedly.

Scorpius lifted his head to follow Albus' gaze, and immediately jumped up when he saw the parchment sitting there.

"Oh right," he said staring at it, suddenly nervous.

"Yes for write-ing," Albus emphasised his pun slowly.

Scorpius chuckled and rolled his eyes. "That's awful," he said.

"Awful or awe-full?" retorted Albus.

"Merlin Albus, I think you need some sleep."

Albus paused trying to think of another pun but failing. "So what are you going to write?" he asked instead.

Scorpius suddenly blushed. "Um...well I'll just introduce myself and then we'll see how it goes after that," he said shyly.

"Oh I could do that for you!" bragged Albus giggling.

He fished out a quill and ink pot quickly from his drawer and starting writing for Scorpius, narrating as he went.

"Hi I'm Scorpius and I love sweets but now I'm trying to pretend I'm _off_ them for some reason. Oh and just to clarify, my father is not the dark lord but I can see how you might make that mistake seeing as I'm so cruel and noseless. My best friend Albus, however, is the kindest, funniest, loveliest wizard you will ever meet and his puns are positively -"

Scorpius yanked the quill from Albus' hand laughing. "I draw the line at praising your terrible puns."

Albus stuck his tongue out at his friend and lunged for the quill, but Scorpius was too fast, and he found it held just outside of his reach. "Hey, no fair!" Albus said.

"Do you think I might be able to write my own letter, Albus?" he asked patiently.

"Fine," sighed Albus, turning around and pretending to act dejected. "I'll just go to sleep then."

Scorpius rolled his eyes with a smile, enjoying Albus' antics. "I think you might need it. You're a little overexcited."

"Oi!" yelled Albus, narrowing his eyes at the other boy.

Scorpius raised his arms in mock surrender.

"Don't forget you're unpacking the trunks tonight." Albus remembered suddenly, starting to undress for bed.

Scorpius turned his back pointedly before responding. "I haven't forgotten, cheater."

"Hey, I won fair and square. Not my fault you stopped before the finish line." Albus said cheekily, as he hopped into bed.

Hearing the bed squeak and figuring it was safe to look, Scorpius turned around again. "Whatever you say. Goodnight Albus."

"Goodnight Scorpius," Albus responded pleasantly, rolling over.

Scorpius set about unpacking his and Albus' trunks quietly, wanting to wait until Albus was completely asleep before starting his letter. Finally when he heard a light snore from the adjacent bed, he starting writing to the light of his wand. Luckily Albus' words had vanished from the paper already, as he was not the intended writer.

_Hi_

Scorpius began, pausing after the one word, wondering if it was too casual.

_Hello_

He began again, wiping the page clean with his wand.

_I'm glad to have someone to write to. I hope you are too._

_Not too sure how to introduce myself without revealing anything._

Scorpius paused again, not able to think of a single thing to say about himself.

_I love Hogwarts, don't you? Even in the Wizarding World, Hogwarts seems to have its own magic. I always love coming back although last year –_

Scorpius stopped himself realizing he might reveal too much of his identity if he finished his original thought.

_-was tough. I think this year will be better though._

_I wonder what your favourite subject is? Maybe that's a boring question but this is difficult when I have no clue to your identity. I'm not sure what to ask to be honest._

_My favourite subject is Care of Magical Creatures although I haven't told anyone that. I suspect my best friend knows though. He seems to have a way of knowing exactly what I mean to say, when I don't say it…well most of the time._

Scorpius read over what he'd written so far, not sure what to follow with. Writing this letter was more difficult than he anticipated.

_Do you like books? I love reading. Over the summer, I went through so many books, I sometimes forgot my own reality. That probably doesn't make much sense unless you really love reading too. I hope you do. Not that it matters if you don't. It would just be something to talk about._

Scorpius realised he was now babbling and quickly moved on.

_If you need to talk about anything, anything you can't talk to your other friends about, I'm here. I'm really excited to have a new friend._

_I hope your year at Hogwarts has started well and I look forward to receiving your first letter._

_From –_

Scorpius wasn't sure how to sign off without using his name. He thought for a moment.

_\- your friend._

There. It wasn't much, but it was a start, Scorpius thought. As he placed the quill down gently, careful not to disturb Albus' sleep, the parchment gracefully folded itself up neatly, rose from the table and glided out the dormitory door.

Scorpius watched it go thoughtfully, already wondering when he might receive a letter in return.

He stole a quick glance at Albus, admiring the gentle expression on his friend's face, before undressing and getting into bed himself. He rolled onto his side, facing away from Albus, thinking about the year to come.


	5. Morning, Slytherins

Scorpius awoke the next morning to the sound of Albus' gentle snores beside him. He smiled as he remembered he was at Hogwarts with his best friend.

He lay in bed for another ten minutes, resting his head, thinking over his letter from last night and wondering if it was too dorky. Scorpius desperately wanted someone to talk to, and he only hoped he had been paired with someone who felt the same.

Much later, Albus reluctantly woke up, having been disturbed by the bright light shining through the dormitory windows and the commotion of the three other boys they shared a room with, who were already up and getting ready for the day.

Albus rolled over to see Scorpius already dressed and sitting on his bed cross legged reading intently. Albus noted the illustrations on the front were strangely muted. He suspected it might be a muggle book.

Scorpius was so lost in his book, he didn't even notice when Albus loudly rolled out of bed, swearing as he hit the floor roughly. Albus looked over at Scorpius quickly, not wanting to be caught swearing and lose another sickle.

Smiling as he saw he had gotten away with it, he headed off to the bathroom for a shower.

"Don't forget another sickle when you're finished," called out Scorpius sweetly behind him, not looking up from his book.

Albus swore again. Scorpius chuckled to himself.

After Albus had finally finished showering and dressing, he walked over to the dormitory door and stared at Scorpius who was still reading. "You coming?" he asked.

"Just waiting for you," replied Scorpius cheerily, still reading.

"No, I'm waiting for you," retorted Albus smugly.

Scorpius looked up at Albus smiling. "Aren't you forgetting something?" Scorpius asked looking pointedly at the other boy's neck.

Albus frowned and looked down. He swore when he realised he had forgotten his tie and scrambled to his drawers to get one.

Scorpius rose up gracefully leaving his book on the bed and taking Albus' previous position by the doorway. "You know," he said casually as Albus frantically knotted his tie, "I'm going to be a lot richer if you keep this up."

Finally righting his tie, Albus followed Scorpius out of the dormitory. "I don't understand why you're the one who gets to benefit here. You just made up these rules so I would give you money."

"I'm the one who has to put up with your dirty mouth," replied Scorpius casually with a wink.

Albus found an unexpected blush creep over his face. He quickly turned away from Scorpius, not sure why he suddenly felt so shy.

Scorpius didn't notice and continued smiling as they made their way up to the Great Hall.

After the strange feeling had passed, Albus looked up at Scorpius curiously "What are you so jolly for?" he asked.

"We're back at Hogwarts, Albus! Classes are starting!"

"Only you could be excited about classes," said Albus dryly.

"Albus!" called out Rose from behind the two boys, as they entered the Great Hall. Albus and Scorpius both turned to greet her.

"Morning Rose," said Scorpius pleasantly.

"Morning Slytherins," she replied smiling at both Scorpius and her cousin.

"Come on then," said Albus, "I'm starving." He turned abruptly and started walking towards the Slytherin table. Rose and Scorpius quickly followed him.

Taking a seat beside Scorpius and opposite Albus, Rose smirked at her cousin teasingly. "Someone's tired," she said pointedly.

"And you think it's wise to tease me when I'm tired and grumpy?" replied Albus, reaching for some bacon.

"What are you going to do, hex me?" Rose asked.

"More likely he'll just swear at you," offered Scorpius, taking a bite from his toast.

"Oh I see," said Rose, smiling now, "I'm sure my aunt and uncle would love to hear about that."

"Sod off you too," Albus bit back good-humoredly, "Let me wake up first before you start ganging up on me. I swear I will hex you both."

"Told you he'd swear at you, Rose," Scorpius said chuckling.

Rose laughed.

Albus was about to really swear at them both, when Scorpius yelled out "Timetables!"

He had noticed the heads of houses starting to make their way down their respective tables, handing out the class timetables, and instead of waiting his turn, he leapt up to retrieve his from Professor Slughorn. "Be right back," he called over his shoulder as he left.

Albus giggled. He found it quite amusing how much his best friend enjoyed school.

"He's not as bad as I thought," said Rose thoughtfully, watching Scorpius approach Slughorn.

Albus frowned. "Just be careful. Don't lead him on. You know he likes you."

"Albus. Don't be so childish. I've made my intentions very clear to Scorpius and if he can't handle being friends then that's his problem. Although it seems he's not the one I should be worried about. Why are you so protective of him anyway? _I'm_ your cousin."

"Well, where were you the last four years?" he said bitterly

She opened her mouth to object but stopped herself. "That's fair," she conceded after a moment. "I'm sorry," she added.

Albus shrugged. "It's okay," he said kindly, immediately regretting his antagonism. He didn't want to go back to feuding with Rose, but her presence seemed to make him irritable recently.

Scorpius returned with his and Albus' timetables. "Sorry Rose, Slughorn only had the Slytherin ones," he said quickly to Rose before turning to Albus. "So we have every class together except I have Arithmancy at a 9am on Tuesday while you have a free period and you have Divination at 11am while I have a free period. So you can sleep in on Tuesdays and I'll study in the library while you're at Divination and then we can meet for lunch?"

Albus looked at the timetable Scorpius had given him, trying to piece together what his friend had just said, but finding it difficult when he was still so tired.

"Oh, and we have two free periods this morning," Scorpius adding sounding disappointed.

"Why didn't you say so before?" cried Albus, suddenly animated. "We can go back to bed!"

Scorpius rolled his eyes. "So you're finally awake and only because you know you can go back to bed?"

Albus nodded enthusiastically. "And did you say I get a sleep in on Tuesdays as well?"

"Yes, and Friday," confirmed Scorpius studying his timetable.

"This is going to be a great year," said Albus smiling. He turned to Rose, suddenly remembering she was still there with them. "Sorry Rose, but we're going back to bed. See you later." He said getting up from his seat.

"Speak for yourself, Albus. Not all of us need 12 hours sleep to function," interjected Scorpius.

Albus pouted. "So I have to walk all the way back down to the dungeons by myself?" he said, feigning sadness.

Scorpius looked at Rose apologetically. "Looks like you're on your own, Rose. Sorry," he said following Albus' lead and standing up.

"Fine," said Rose "But I guess no one is going to walk me back to the Gryffindor table?"

"Nope," said Albus quickly.

Rose rolled her eyes, smiling. "Whatever. See you Slytherins."


	6. I don't know what to write

Their first day of classes passed rather quickly for Scorpius but not so much for his friend. Even though Albus had fallen straight back to sleep for the first two spare periods, Scorpius could have sworn Albus dozed off a couple of times in their first History of Magic double as well.

Rose was nowhere to be seen at lunch so the two boys sat alone at the Slytherin table.

"She's probably already in the library studying," said Albus knowingly.

"Sounds like a good idea. We're already behind," Scorpius replied thoughtfully.

Albus looked at Scorpius shocked. "We've had one class. How are we already behind?"

"I realised today that I forgot to pre-read our History of Magic textbook over the holidays. I only had a vague idea of what Professor Binns was talking about in class," said Scorpius, sounding worried.

"So you have a better idea than the rest of the class!" said Albus, "And you're not behind. The whole point of classes is to learn, not for you to pre-learn and then sit there smugly in classes."

Scorpius smiled. "Do I sit smugly?"

"Well not today seeing as you were finally on the same page as the rest of us," Albus retorted.

"Alright no library today," conceded Scorpius "But next week, when we have stacks of homework..."

"Fine," sighed Albus, "as long as you help me with History and Transfiguration."

"I always do," smiled Scorpius.

They had a single period of both Charms and Defence Against the Dark Arts in the afternoon, but both classes passed rather uneventfully as they were purely theory based.

On return to their dormitories after sixth period, Albus was secretly delighted to find his first letter waiting for him by his bed, along with a fresh sheet of enchanted parchment for his reply.

Scorpius respecting his friend's privacy, busied himself in his History of Magic textbook so Albus could read the letter alone.

Albus lay back down on his bed and opened the letter excitedly.

_Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening,_

_Welcome back to Hogwarts. I'm already underway with classes which is incredibly exciting. I find myself much more comfortable following the routine of school, rather than the freedom holidays bring. Although of course I do enjoy spending time with family during the summer._

_I'm unsure when you will receive this letter. I suspect that the parchment travels immediately to the recipient's dorm once completed, however, from my observations they also have anti-following charms, so will take indirect routes to get there, to ensure no one can link the writer to the reader. It's quite cleverly designed actually._

_Although if Hogwarts were to allow muggle technology like computers, the whole process could be much simpler and immediate. I know magic interferes with this sort of technology however I fail to see how the wizards and witches of our time haven't been able to work around a solution to it yet. I'm actually quite interested in the possibilities of combining muggle technology and magic. Maybe I'll be the witch or wizard who finally solves this issue? Who knows? Right now, I'd very much like to excel in all my classes._

_Do you have much interest in muggle technology? I know some wizards can't even comprehend these things. I'd be more than happy to explain computers and whatever else to you if you would like. If you already have exposure to the muggle world, I'd be interested to know your thoughts on the strange division between magic and technology._

_I do hope your first (and second, depending when you receive this letter) day has been enjoyable for you. I'd like to ask you questions about yourself but it is all very difficult when we must remain anonymous. I can't even ask your house! Maybe you could tell me about your interests? I'd like to hear about your family and friends as well._

_I'm quite pleased this program was introduced, but I am very busy with schoolwork, so if I you are without a reply for periods of time, I'd like to assure you this is the sole reason, and it is nothing to do with you. Unless, of course, you send me rude or unkind letters. Then, sadly friend, it would have everything to do with you._

_Enjoy the rest of the week._

_Yours truly,_

Upon finishing the letter, he lay thoughtfully for a while, pondering how to start his response. Sitting up, he pulled out a quill and ink pot from his drawer, and chewed on the edge nervously.

Scorpius, hearing movement, had looked over at his friend and observed the nervous chewing. "Albus," he sighed. "You're going to get ink on your face, or worse, poke yourself in the eye."

Albus laughed nervously. "I don't know what to write," he admitted.

"At least you've got something to work off," Scorpius gestured to the previous letter, "it was much harder writing the first letter from scratch."

Albus nodded pensively.

Seeing his friend still struggling, "Maybe start with hello?" he offered kindly.

"Right, hello," said Albus seriously as if this had not occurred to him.

"And then answer any questions they've asked you, asking them in return..."

"Ah-ha! Questions. They did ask questions" said Albus excitedly.

"And then finish by telling them about your best friend, who is the loveliest, kindest, funniest -"

"Yeah, yeah," giggled Albus "I think I'm sorted now, thanks."

"Alright, but if you run out of things to say, you can always mention me…" Scorpius trailed off, returning back to his textbook.

Albus returned to his letter, prepared his quill and started writing as per his friend's suggestion.

_Hello._

_I am familiar with muggle tech but thanks for the offer of explanation. Maybe the division of magic and muggle tech is a good thing? Considering how powerful dark wizards can be, at least muggles have their technology to level the playing field in some regards. If you combined them, it would probably only benefit wizards, not muggles. Just a thought._

_My interests? That's hard. I like Gobstones but I never really get to play. It's not very popular these days. I can't think of anything other than eating and sleeping but I don't think that's how you want me to answer that question._

_I'll move onto friends and family. My best friend did ask me to mention him in this letter. How do I describe my best friend?_

Albus looking over at Scorpius, smiling at the intense expression of concentration on his face, as he continued to study his textbook.

_He's the best part about Hogwarts. I don't know how I would have made it through the last four years without him. I think he might be the kindest person I've ever met._

Albus paused, worried he sounded silly talking about Scorpius so much. Paranoid, he stole another glance at his friend, but Scorpius was still absorbed in his book. Albus quickly moved onto the next question.

_My family are my family. I love them. I hate them. I think that says it all really._

_How about your friends and family?_

_Talk soon!_

Albus finished, feeling as if his letter was incomplete, but not having anything else to add. It was strange chatting with someone and not even knowing their name. Albus wasn't sure if he liked it yet.


	7. Will you teach me?

Throughout the first two weeks of classes, Albus wrote back and forth to his writing partner every other day. Although they had mentioned they might be busy with schoolwork, they seemed to have no problem fitting Albus into their schedule.

Scorpius, however, hadn't received a single letter from his partner. Every morning and every night he checked his bedside table but every time there was nothing. It didn't help watching his friend excitedly read and write his letters most nights.

Scorpius spent several nights going over what he could remember writing in his first letter. Had he been too boring or too dorky? Surely they would have read it by now. Maybe their reply got lost on the way back. Maybe.

Headmistress McGonagall did say participation was mandatory but Scorpius didn't see how they could enforce this. He wasn't going to go running to the Headmistress to complain about not receiving a letter.

Albus had noticed Scorpius' mood starting to sink. Not long ago, he had been so excited about Hogwarts, classes and even this letter program. Although Albus had enjoyed conversing with his partner, he'd wished the Headmistress had never introduced the program. It was causing Scorpius too much grief, and he couldn't bear to see his best friend so sad.

Albus tried to hide his letters but it was difficult when they kept appearing in their shared dormitory. He tried not to write in front of Scorpius but they were always together. He'd tried to wait until his friend had fallen asleep one night, but he found he couldn't keep his eyes open that long.

On the Friday of their third week of classes, Albus and Scorpius had 5th and 6th period free so after lunch they went straight up to their dorm to change out of their uniforms. They had been planning to go for a walk around the grounds and lake.

As they entered the dormitory, Albus cried out in joy "Scorpius!"

"What?" asked Scorpius, looking at the other boy confused.

"You got one!" replied Albus cheerfully.

"I've got what?" asked Scorpius as he turned to follow his friend's gaze. "Oh," he said quickly.

Scorpius ran to his bedside table excitedly, and opened the parchment quickly. He began to read as Albus watched him from the doorway. But as Scorpius read, his smile faded and Albus watched it be replaced with a heavy look of disappointment.

Scorpius placed the parchment back down and sighed.

"Scorpius?" asked Albus tentatively approaching him.

Scorpius suddenly jumped up smiling. "Alright get ready, we're going to the lake," he said with forced joy.

"Did you want to talk about -" Albus began concerned.

"Come on, I want to be back inside before dark," interrupted Scorpius, taking his clothes into the bathroom to change.

Albus sighed sadly. He saw the parchment sitting on Scorpius' bed and went to pick it up, but stopped himself. Scorpius would tell him about it when he was ready.

They spent about an hour wandering the perimeter of the school before stopping at the Great Lake. Scorpius insisted they stop here. He liked watching the ripples of water as he skipped pebbles across the surface. Albus didn't object as he enjoyed watching Scorpius do this.

Scorpius directed his focus intently on each little ripple and the next and the next. In doing this, he was able to relax his mind from his recent worries, particularly the disappointing letter he had just received.

Albus lay on the grass lazily watching Scorpius throw pebbles in silence. He couldn't take his eyes off his friend - the way he leant his arm back to prepare for each throw was so graceful and precise. Scorpius's arm movements reminded Albus vaguely of ballroom dancing. Although it didn't make sense for Scorpius to be dancing alone.

"Will you teach me?" called out Albus suddenly.

Scorpius paused mid-throw and turned back to his friend grinning. "Will you actually listen this time?" he asked cheekily.

Scorpius had already tried to teach Albus back in their first year but skipping stones hadn't come so naturally to Albus who was not as graceful as Scorpius, and certainly not as patient.

Albus pouted at Scorpius. "Please?" he asked.

Scorpius shook his head smiling. "Of course, Albus."

Jumping up eagerly, Albus ran to his friend's side and picked up a pebble near his feet.

Frowning, Scorpius picked the pebble from Albus' hand and replaced it with the one in his own. The lingering contact of their hands causing a small blush on Albus' face, which luckily the other boy didn't notice.

"This pebble's too rough," he explained, holding it out to Albus to inspect.

Albus looked from the pebble in his hands to the one in Scorpius' hands amused. "They look exactly the same!" he cried.

Scorpius shrugged, chuckling. "You'll learn."

"So how do I chuck it?" asked Albus, raising his arm high.

Scorpius laughed loudly. "Well first of all, you don't _chuck_ it." he said, shuffling over to Albus's right side and pulling his arm down slowly. Albus's heart beat a little faster at the contact.

"Keep your forearm flat like this," Scorpius said still holding onto Albus, "and pull your arm back…" Scorpius released his grip, keeping his hands lighting brushing Albus' arm for support.

"No, wait," called out Scorpius urgently as Albus quickly moved to throw the pebble. Scorpius grasped his friend's forearm and shoulder instinctively, but it was too late, and the pebble plopped into the water pathetically.

Albus turned to look at Scorpius sheepishly and found the other's boy's face only centimetres from his. Their eyes locked on each other for a moment, green on silver, silver on green, Scorpius still clutching Albus' arm tightly. Scorpius quickly let go of Albus and took a small step back, swallowing nervously. Albus turned back towards the lake, blushing.

Wordlessly, Scorpius picked up another pebble and placed it into Albus's palm carefully, rearranging his hand delicately so that Albus was only holding the sides of the pebble. He picked up a pebble for himself and slowly pulled his arm back to throw, looking over at Albus to make sure he was following his actions. Scorpius nodded at Albus and they both released together, one pebble skipping across the water effortlessly, the other skipping only once before faltering. They smiled at each other.

They continued skipping pebbles together, mostly in silence, Scorpius occasionally offering advice, until it started getting dark. The boys headed straight to the Great Hall for dinner before returning to their dorm.

As they entered the dormitory together, Albus noticed another letter sitting on his table. He looked over to Scorpius nervously but he had already seen it as well.

"It's okay," said Scorpius smiling weakly. "You read. I'm going to have a shower."

Later that night, with Albus asleep, Scorpius picked up his own letter and reread it.

_Bloody parchment kept nudging me every time I was in the dorm until I wrote a reply. This is stupid._

Scorpius felt incredibly silly about his first letter now. Although he tried to tell himself it wasn't him and it wasn't his letter that had caused this. He had just been paired with someone who wasn't interested in writing. That's all. "It's not me." He whispered to himself sadly as he rolled over in bed, closing his eyes.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N Follow me on Twitter for updates and #scorbus love: Queen_of_Thyme


	8. It was, wasn't it?

Scorpius awoke Saturday morning to find Albus fast asleep, his head and arm dangling off the bed precariously. The sight made him smile.

He rose quickly and carefully pulled Albus up from the shoulders to rest his head gently back onto the bed properly. Albus opened his eyes ever so slightly and said sleepily "You're really nice, Scorpius, really nice." Before rolling over with a contented 'hmmm' sound.

Scorpius laughed softly. He wondered if Albus would remember this later when he fully awoke. Looking around he noticed he was the only one awake. A dull light permeated the room from the windows.

Without thinking Scorpius picked up the enchanted parchment on his bedside table and started writing.

_Hi,_

_I'm sorry you have to participate when you don't want to. You must be very busy with schoolwork. You can send me one word replies if you like. That way, you won't have to waste too much of your time._

_I hope the year has been good for you so far. Hogwarts really is a magical place._

_Apologies again._

The parchment folded itself up neatly and flew away. Scorpius watched it go, wondering if he should have replied at all.

Much later, once Albus was awake, the two boys made their way down to the library to study, quickly dropping by the Great Hall to grab some breakfast.

They bumped into Lily Potter on their way out of the hall. Lily smiled widely at Scorpius, her eyes sparkling. "Hello Scorpius." she said, ignoring Albus.

"Hi Lily," said Scorpius grinning.

"Hey, I'm right here!" interrupted Albus annoyed.

"Albus, I get to see you all summer. I get to see Scorpius very rarely," she replied nonchalantly. "And it's always fun to rile him up," she added to Scorpius quietly.

"I heard that, Lily."

"You make it so easy, Al," she retorted, rolling her eyes. "Where are you off to then?" she asked redirecting her question to Scorpius.

"To the library," injected Albus, "And no you can't come, we're going alone."

Lily smiled wickedly. "Well in that case, I'll leave you too _alone_." She emphasised the last word suggestively. Albus' face went bright red and he stood frozen on the spot, not able to reply.

Lily winked at Scorpius as she walked off, laughing at her brother. Scorpius laughed nervously in response.

Albus cleared his throat awkwardly and set off to the library, Scorpius in pursuit. Lily's implication had brought a number of images to Albus' head that he was having difficulty shaking.

They walked all the way to the library in silence, Albus' face still pink. As they were about to take a seat at an empty table, Scorpius spotted Rose.

"Rose," he called out merrily, immediately walking over to her. Albus followed begrudgingly.

Rose looked up from her Ancient Runes textbooks. "Morning Slytherins," she said looking from Scorpius to Albus, noticing an irritated expression on her cousin's face.

"Morning Rose. Can we study with you?" asked Scorpius.

Rose glanced at her cousin uncertainly. "Don't know how much help that will be...neither of you are taking Ancient Runes are you?"

"No," said Albus quickly.

"That's okay," said Scorpius kindly, "I only need to do some quiet reading anyway."

He sat down casually, not seeing Rose's eyes darting back to Albus nervously. She was worried he was still upset at her. She smiled at Albus cautiously, "Are you sitting?" she asked.

Scorpius looked behind him to see Albus still standing. "Come on, Albus," he said dragging his friend into the seat beside him. "You love studying." Albus couldn't help but smile at that.

"So Rose," Scorpius said, turning back to her - Albus' smile disappeared, "How are you finding Ancient Runes this year?"

Albus watched Scorpius and Rose chat about classes sourly. He knew Scorpius was smarter than him but it never affected their friendship. Now, listening to him chat with someone who was equally intelligent (if not more) he suddenly felt very stupid and very silly. He bitterly wondered how Scorpius could label this as "quiet reading". He pulled out his Transfiguration textbook and started reading, not really absorbing the words.

He felt Scorpius nudge him purposefully, and looked up blinking. "Did you need help starting the Transfig essay?" he asked softly, leaning in closely to Albus.

Albus looked over at Rose and noticed she had returned to her own textbook and was quietly taking notes.

"I'm fine," replied Albus to Scorpius before returning back to his textbook. He went over the same paragraph he'd been trying to read for the last five minutes and found he was still not absorbing anything.

"Actually Scorpius…" he started meekly, looking at his friend.

Scorpius looked up quickly smiling. "Yes, Albus..."

"Please help me," said Albus desperately, with an exaggerated look of confusion.

Scorpius chuckled. He looked over at Albus' textbook and laughed again. "First it might help if you were on the right chapter." He leant over Albus to turn the pages of the textbook. Albus felt Scorpius' breath on his neck and he shivered involuntarily.

"This is cozy," barked a voice from behind them. Albus and Scorpius sprung away from each other instantly and turned around in surprise.

"James," said Albus curtly to his brother.

"Albus," he replied with a mock smile. He turned to Scorpius and narrowed his eyes. "Malfoy."

"James," responded Scorpius nervously with a polite nod.

And I'm Rose," interrupted Rose sarcastically "Congratulations, you all know each other's names!"

Albus and Scorpius caught each other's eye and grinned.

"Connor," called out James.

"For the love of mer –" began Rose.

"She's over here."

James's best friend, Connor Parkins appeared grinning. "Thanks, mate," he said to James before turning to Rose. "So how 'bout it?"

Rose stared at Connor blankly, while James tried to hold in his laughter. Albus and Scorpius watched in amusement.

When it was clear Rose wasn't going to respond, Connor tried again. "How 'bout us?"

" _How 'bout us_ what?" asked Rose expressionlessly. James couldn't help himself any longer and he let out a loud bark of laughter.

"Do you mind?" Connor said to James before looking at Rose again. "You and me, let's date."

" _You and me, let's date_?" she repeated incredulously. " _How 'bout it_? That's how you ask me out?"

Connor frowned, looking uncertain. "Yeah. So is that a yes?"

"Oh please. I'm not interested, Connor. Thanks," she said coolly.

"Bitch," muttered Connor under his breath.

Scorpius and Albus both stood up quickly, facing Connor. "Careful," Scorpius warned.

Connor laughed and swung his arm back to punch Scorpius in the face, but before he could make contact he found himself being pushed back by an unseen force.

Scorpius turned around to see Rose standing up, slowly lowering her wand. "I'm not impressed by violence, Connor, and I'm certainly not impressed by you. Please leave," she said coldly.

Connor looked ready to fight but James helped him to his feet and ushered him out of the library forcibly, looking embarrassed.

After they left, Albus leapt up and pulled Scorpius into a tight hug. "Er…what's this for?" Scorpius asked confused.

Albus dropped the hug. "For almost getting punched in the face!" he cried. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," replied Scorpius, "thanks to Rose." The boys both turned to Rose, grinning.

"That was excellent." said Albus.

Rose smiled, sitting back down. "It was, wasn't it?"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N Follow me on Twitter for updates and #scorbus love: Queen_of_Thyme


	9. We're going out

The following Tuesday during his free period when Albus was in Divination class, Scorpius received another letter.

_Ok._

was all it said. Although expecting this, Scorpius still found it hard to read the letter. He wrote a response back immediately.

_I hope this works out well for you until November. I guess it was quite silly for the Headmistress to make the letters mandatory. All the best. Let me know if you ever want to actually talk._

He had had high hopes for this writing program. Usually he would share everything with Albus, so he wasn't used to bottling things up. This time, he wasn't sure if he wanted Albus to know how he was feeling just yet, and there was no one else he could talk to. He had thought he might be able to chat about it anonymously with his writing partner but he could see now that would never be a possibility.

Albus noticed Scorpius seemed quite distant throughout the rest of the day. Scorpius hadn't told him about the letter. He desperately wanted to cheer up his friend but found the task to be more difficult than usual.

That night, Scorpius lay awake in his bed, desperately trying to think what advice his mother would give him if she could. He had pondered this many times but always came up empty. His mother had always had such good advice.

As he pondered, he observed Albus carefully rise out of bed and slip away from the dormitory quietly. It made his stomach feel queasy to know Albus was secretly sneaking off late at night. There was a nagging question that formed itself on his lips: Who? He frantically tried to tear his mind from the question, but it was like someone was shouting it in his head.

However, to Scorpius' surprise, Albus returned less than twenty minutes later, looking quite guilty. Scorpius quickly closed his eyes, pretending to be asleep when he saw Albus approaching him. Albus sat on the edge of Scorpius' bed smiling cheekily.

"You awake?" whispered Albus, gently nudging Scorpius.

Scorpius opened his eyes slowly, trying to appear as if he had just awoken. He didn't want to worry his friend with his sleep troubles.

"I am now," Scorpius replied, faking a yawn.

"Please don't insult my intelligence, Scorpius," said Albus. "Anyway, get up."

Scorpius pulled himself up slowly, looking at his friend curiously, "Albus, what – "

"Shhh," whispered Albus, looking around cautiously. He took hold of Scorpius' hand and dragged him out of the dormitory and down the stairs to the common room. They paused next to one of the couches, still holding hands. Now that they were no longing moving, the contact was suddenly awkward, and they both released their grip at the same time.

"Are you going to tell – " Scorpius began.

"Wait."

Albus fished around down the back of the common room couches, Scorpius staring at him confused and intrigued. Finally he began to pull out a long glittery cloak. He turned to Scorpius proudly displaying it.

"You didn't," Scorpius said shocked. "Put it back now, before he wakes up!"

Albus frowned, displeased at his friend's reaction. "I will later. James won't even realise. He's always misplacing it. Anyway, I need it now."

"You need it for what?" asked Scorpius concerned.

Albus smiled widely. "We're going out."

"Out?"

"Out."

"Okay," Scorpius replied uncertainly.

Scorpius allowed Albus to cover them both with the invisibility cloak, tensing nervously when Albus shuffled closer to ensure they were fully covered. Albus looked up at Scorpius underneath the cloak with a smile and took his hand again. "Come on," he said pulling his friend along excitedly.

They found their way through Hogwarts after dark easily. The cloak allowed them to stroll around the corridors confidently as if it were broad daylight. When they saw a patrolling teacher or prefect, they walked as close as they dared behind them before slipping away down another corridor giggling.

Albus hadn't released Scorpius' hand since they left the Slytherin common room together. Scorpius found it strange and uncomfortable at first, but the more they walked together, laughing and ghosting teachers, the more it felt natural, as if his hand belonged in Albus'. He tried to stop himself from reading too much into it.

Scorpius suddenly realised his friend had been leading him further and further upstairs, far away from the dungeons. "Are we – "

"Shhh, you'll ruin it," interrupted Albus before he could finish.

As Scorpius suspected, Albus lead them further and further upstairs until they reached the Astronomy Tower. They'd been here several times before during lessons but now with just the two of them here in the middle of the night, the room suddenly felt more intimidating to Scorpius.

Albus finally released his friend's hand and pulled the cloak from them both, stashing it carefully in the corner of the room. Once satisfied the cloak was safe, he walked quickly to the edge of the room which looked out onto the Hogwarts grounds. Scorpius instinctively moved towards Albus, worried he might fall.

Albus clumsily lay down on his back on the floor, his head almost dangling off the edge. Scorpius looked down at his friend strangely. Albus lifted his head up to look at Scorpius. "Come on," he said eagerly patting the floor beside him, "this is where you get the best view."

Scorpius shook his head amused but quickly dropped down next to Albus, leaving a small gap between them. Without thinking, Albus shuffled over closer to Scorpius so that the full length of their bodies were touching each other. "Look," he said excitedly, "It's a full moon."

Scorpius slowly took in the sight above him, trying to ignore the way the back of his and Albus' hands were lightly brushing each other as they lay with arms by their side. He was immediately relaxed by the dark sky and stars above him. Albus was right about the view, however Scorpius noted that the moon was only almost full and likely wouldn't be a true full moon until the following night. He didn't share this with Albus though.

They lay this way for some time, both relaxed in each other's company, lying under the stars.

"You're the only one I'd want to share this with, Scorpius," said Albus suddenly.

They fell back into silence for a moment until Scorpius replied, "You're the only one I'd want to share this with too, Albus."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N Follow me on Twitter for updates and #scorbus love: Queen_of_Thyme


	10. Thank you for staying for my sweets

A week passed and Scorpius received another letter. He braced himself before reading it, expecting another one word reply, but what he found instead was oddly pleasing.

_I'm sorry for being rude. You seem nice._

The letter was only short but it filled Scorpius with in-explainable relief. _You seem nice_ , he read again smiling. It also played at his pride, although he'd hate to admit it. He had gotten through to this person. He had turned it around. Scorpius couldn't help but remain smiling as he started his reply back.

_That's okay! Thanks for saying that. To be honest, I've been very eager to chat with someone, so was quite disappointed at first that you weren't interested. I know this isn't for everyone though so I'm not holding anything against you personally. Would you like to tell me how your year is going?_

He read back over his letter quickly before putting his quill down, and letting the parchment fold itself up for departure. He looked over at Albus, who was smiling at him from the adjacent bed.

"You finally get a good letter?" he asked relieved, having seen the smile on Scorpius' face.

"Yeah, I did," confirmed Scorpius smiling widely at his friend. Albus did a little happy dance on his bed.

Scorpius laughed in amusement. "Do that again."

Albus giggled looking embarrassed. "No."

"Please Albus," Scorpius pleaded, still laughing.

Albus swore to himself, and looked around carefully to make sure they were alone in the dormitory, before repeating a shortened version of his happy dance.

Scorpius laughed even harder, tears in his eyes. "Again, again!" he called out, laughing so hard, he fell off the bed.

Albus joined Scorpius on the floor giggling at his friend. "You need to calm down, Scorpius. It was just a dance," he said trying to be serious.

"You should dance more often," Scorpius said as he wiped tears from his eyes and sat up next to Albus.

"Don't ever let me dance by myself in public."

"As long as I still get to see you dance in private then" replied Scorpius without thinking.

The boys paused and stared at each other, both realizing what Scorpius had said at the same time. Albus broke the silence by starting to giggle again and Scorpius couldn't help but follow suit; Albus' laugh was infectious to him.

Over the next month, both Scorpius and Albus wrote back and forth to their writing partners regularly.

Albus' partner often brought up various magical theories which they would then discuss at length. His partner seemed to really respect Albus' opinions and he found himself slowly feeling more worthy of the intellectual conversation. They also spoke about their studies and friends; his writing partner seemed very interested in hearing more about Scorpius so Albus often shared details of their adventures together. He was careful to ensure Scorpius never saw his letters as he was self-conscious he was writing too much about his best friend, but even after acknowledging this he found he still couldn't stop.

After a rocky start with his partner, Scorpius found the other writer opening up slowly, letter by letter. At first Scorpius continued to receive short responses as he asked questions cautiously, trying not to overwhelm his partner. Finally, in one letter his partner asked him a question politely in return to one of his and their conversation seemed to take off suddenly from there.

Scorpius was pleased when it seemed his partner finally started to trust him; they shared intimate details of their parents' divorce with Scorpius, and in return he opened up about his mother's death. His partner was sympathetic and kind, and Scorpius took comfort in the reaction. For some time he pondered on sharing a secret he hadn't told anyone. However he held back for a long time, still uncertain.

Finally, Scorpius decided it was time to be brave and share the secret he'd been keeping close to his heart, the one that had been causing him anxiety since last summer. Even thought it was anonymous, he still felt immensely proud of himself. It was a step in the right direction and he'd hadn't felt so free in a long time.

Watching the letter fly away, he smiled to himself. Finally another person would know. Scorpius felt as if a great burden had been lifted from him.

Unfortunately the feeling of freedom didn't last long. When he hadn't received a reply letter in two days, he began to panic. As each day passed after that, he felt his stomach tighten further, his anxiety increasing. Albus could tell something was wrong, but no matter how many times he asked, Scorpius insisted he was fine. Scorpius buried his head in a book whenever he was alone with Albus, trying to avoid further questions.

The next week, after his Divination class, Albus found Scorpius wasn't waiting for him outside for lunch like he always did. He hurried down to the Great Hall thinking Scorpius may already be at lunch for some reason but he was nowhere to be seen. He rushed to the dungeons to search the Slytherin common room. Albus was worried; Scorpius had never stood him up before.

Dashing up the stairs to their dormitory, Albus thought he heard a sob. He was surprised to turn the corner and find Scorpius leaning up against his bed crying, surrounded by sweets and empty wrappers.

Albus ran to his friend quickly and pulled him into a hug, sitting down beside him. "Scorpius, what's wrong?" he asked frantically.

"It's – It's stupid," said Scorpius between sobs.

"I'm sure it's not," Albus said, holding his friend tightly.

"They haven't written back."

It took Albus a moment to realise who Scorpius was referring to.

"Oh Scorpius, they must be busy -"

"No, no. I-I told them something and I don't think they want to be my friend anymore."

"That's ridiculous. There's nothing you could say to stop someone being your friend. You're too nice. Scorpius, you're the nicest person I know."

"No, you don't understand. I told them…about...about…"

"About what, Scorpius?" asked Albus. "You know you can tell me anything."

Scorpius shook his head and looked at the floor.

Albus pulled Scorpius in tighter, worried for his best friend. "It's okay. You don't have to tell me now. Only when you're ready."

"Thanks, Albus," Scorpius said appreciatively. "Thanks for being here."

"Oh no. I'm not here for you, I'm here for your sweets" said Albus, softly.

Scorpius almost laughed. "Thank you staying for my sweets, Albus." he whispered, turning his head to bury his face in Albus' chest. Albus held Scorpius while he cried, mentally cursing the unknown person who had caused his best friend so much sadness.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Follow me on Twitter for updates and #scorbus love: Queen_of_Thyme


	11. You're my best friend no matter what

Albus was frustrated that his best friend wouldn't tell him what was bothering him. He was jealous that Scorpius seemed to trust a complete stranger to share it with but not Albus, his best friend. Although his jealously and frustration with Scorpius was nothing compared to the anger he felt at Scorpius' writing partner for not responding, and that in turn couldn't compare to the agony he felt at seeing his friend in pain.

He wished desperately that Scorpius would open up to him, but he didn't push it, because his biggest priority was making his best friend feel as safe and comfortable as possible. This usually meant that they skirted around the topic of letters, and never again mentioned Scorpius' crying episode.

Scorpius went back to avoiding sweets, or so he claimed, but Albus often heard the unmistakable sound of wrappers in the middle of the night, accompanied by muffled sobs. The first time he heard it he called out to Scorpius in the dark but there was no reply. The next morning, the boys didn't mention it. After that, Albus would lay awake each night listening intently until Scorpius's sobs stopped. Only then would he be able to fall asleep himself.

Albus often felt he should be doing more to help his friend, but every time he reached out, Scorpius shut down completely. He found the only thing that seemed to work in the slightest were distractions, so he allowed Scorpius' to keep up the pretense that nothing was wrong, and tried his best to keep their conversations light and good-humoured. Whenever he managed to claw a genuine laugh from his best friend, he counted it as a success.

As the weeks went by, and Scorpius had still not received a letter, things slowly got better. Where before, Scorpius cried almost every night, now Albus heard sobs only rarely. He still spotted sweet wrappers in their dormitory trash bin often, which he doubted all belonged to their roommates. Scorpius also seemed to be smiling more often, and Albus often caught glimpses of the old easily excited Scorpius, who showed enthusiasm over things most people wouldn't have noticed or cared about.

They were studying in the library one Friday afternoon and Albus, encouraged by Scorpius' excitement about finding a book on the hidden magical properties of typically considered non-magical plants, decided it was finally time to broach the topic again.

"Scorpius," he began seriously.

Scorpius looked up quickly, his previous smile fading.

"We don't have to talk about it if you don't want, but I know there's something you're not telling me."

Scorpius sighed, looking down at the table nervously. "It's not that I don't want to tell you, Albus. I'm just…afraid," he admitted quietly.

Frowning, Albus reached out and placed his hand over Scorpius' on the table. "Scorpius, it's me. You can tell me anything. You're my best friend no matter what."

Scorpius stared at Albus' hand where it rested over his, gritting his teeth in frustration. "You don't understand what you're saying, Albus."

"Then help me understand, Scorpius. I want to help."

Scorpius sighed again and finally looked up to meet Albus' eye. He opened his mouth as if to speak, but was interrupted by Rose who suddenly plonked down in the chair next to him. Scorpius quickly slid his hand out from under Albus'.

"Your brother is a complete arse," she said to Albus, as she started laying out her books on the table. "I honestly don't understand how we are related to him."

Albus glared at her pointedly, trying to convey that she was not invited. Rose looked from her cousin to Scorpius, who was staring down at the table nervously.

"Did I interrupt some –"

"Yes," replied Albus at the same time Scorpius stood up abruptly.

"No," he said in reply to Rose. "I've got to go, anyway."

"Wait," Albus called out, "I'll come with you." He started packing up his books.

"No, no," said Scorpius, his eyes pleading to Albus. "We'll talk later, I promise. I just need to…go."

Albus could see the desperation in his friend's eyes. "Okay," he said slowly. "Come find me when you're ready."

"Thanks, Albus," Scorpius replied smiling weakly before all but running out of the library.

Albus turned to Rose in frustration. "Great timing," he said sourly.

"What was that about?" she asked, her brow furrowed.

"I would know if it wasn't for you."

"I'm sorry for interrupting, I really am, Albus." She responded, looking shameful.

Albus sighed. "It's not your fault," he conceded. "I was just so close."

"Is there anything I can do?" asked Rose.

"No, no. There's nothing. I can't do anything either. I should be doing something. Anything! I'm supposed to be his best friend. I don't know what to do." Albus put his head in his hands.

Rose came around to sit down next to Albus. "I'm sure you're doing everything you can for him, Al. Just give him time, and keep being his friend. I'm sure he needs that."

Albus smiled at his cousin.

"And I'm not sure if this will help," she continued, "but there's an early Christmas party in the Gryffindor common room tonight. Maybe you and Scorpius should come and unwind. I heard one of the older students is smuggling in firewhiskey."

"I don't know," said Albus.

"There'll be other houses there too. I'm sorry for not inviting you earlier. James was supposed to be looking after invites but I just spoke to him and he said he forgot about Slytherin, that git."

"It's okay, thanks. But it's not really Scorpius' thing. We might just stay in tonight," Albus responded.

"Fair enough. If you change your mind, the password will be mandrake." Rose said returning to her books.

Albus tried to go back to studying, but he found it difficult to concentrate as all he could think about was what Scorpius was going to tell him. What could be so terrible that Scorpius didn't think he would understand?


	12. Dance with me

Albus studied for a little longer with Rose before returning to his dormitory. He was disappointed to see Scorpius was absent. He sat down on Scorpius' bed thinking he'd wait there until his friend showed. Then they could talk about whatever was bothering Scorpius and sort it out together.

Albus lay back on Scorpius' bed as he waited. He tried to ignore how nice the sheets smelt and the fact that they smelled exactly like Scorpius. He closed his eyes for a moment.

_"You smell nice," Albus said to Scorpius._

_Scorpius smiled, his face centimetres from Albus. He reached out and swept Albus hair behind his ear._

_"You taste nice," said Scorpius as he slowly leaned forward to plant his lips on Albus'..._

Albus awoke with a start, frantically looking around him. The sun had set and the dormitory was empty.

He got up quickly and checked the time: 9pm. He must have fallen asleep, but then, where was Scorpius? Where were the other boys from the dorm?

The Gryffindor party, he suddenly remembered, but that didn't make sense. Scorpius wouldn't have any interest in that and he certainly wouldn't go without Albus.

In a panic, thinking something was most definitely wrong, he ran down to the common room. He scanned the room quickly, and spotted one of his roommates sitting by the fire reading a book.

"Mitchell," he yelled urgently. "Have you seen Scorpius?"

Mitchell looked up irritated. "Oh yeah, he went to that party with the others."

Albus frowned. "Are you sure?"

Mitchell closed his eyes. "No, I'm not sure, Albus. I didn't personally escort him there. He just left with everyone else heading that way." He turned away from Albus returning to his book.

Albus didn't understand why Scorpius would go without him. They were going to talk. Albus sighed, realising he was going to have to go to the party.

Not bothering to change, he headed out, taking the stairs up to Gryffindor tower as quickly as possible. He was anxious to see Scorpius, as he still had a terrifying sinking feeling that something was wrong. He couldn't put his finger on it; all he knew was that it made him feel physically ill.

He reached The Fat Lady and cursed. Rose had just told him the password only hours ago. What was it?

Within seconds he remembered. He cursed again at his own impatience.

"Mandrake."

Upon entering the Gryffindor common room, he realised finding Scorpius here was going to be a lot harder than he thought. Students from all houses were packed in together, shoulder to shoulder, with no breathing space. He desperately searched for the pale blonde hair he knew would stand out, but he was too short to see the entire room.

Although not what he was looking for, he breathed a sigh of relief when the crowd parted for a second and he caught a glimpse of Rose standing at the side of the room awkwardly.

"Rose!" he called out, pushing his way towards her.

She didn't seem to notice his presence until he was standing directly in front of her.

"Albus," she exclaimed surprised. "I thought you weren't coming."

"Is Scorpius here?" Albus asked yelling over the music.

"Yeah..." Rose said nervously.

"What?" said Albus suspiciously.

"Well, he's had a bit to drink..."

Albus laughed. "Scorpius doesn't drink."

Suddenly Albus felt a hand clamp down on his shoulder from behind, and he whirled around to see Scorpius leaning on him, smiling dopily.

"Dance with me, Albus."

Albus' cheeks went pink. "Scorpius, are you drunk?"

Scorpius laughed loudly. "Me? Drunk? Allllll-bus!"

Albus stared at Rose accusingly. "He's wasted."

"Don't look at me. He went straight to the firewhiskey when he got here. I told him to slow down." Rose said.

"I'm slow!" called out Scorpius defensively.

Albus sighed. "I'm going to get him some water. Rose, will you please look after him? Do not let him leave your sight, okay?" Albus removed Scorpius's arm from his shoulder and placed it carefully on Rose's.

Albus quickly worked his way through the crowd, searching for a drinks table. He found a plastic cup and started shuffling his way back to Scorpius, muttering _aguamenti_ as he went. He had to cast the spell several times before a jet of clear water finally appeared from his wand, filling the cup.

He smiled at his success and looked up to see Scorpius drunkenly trying to dance with Rose, holding her arms out and swinging them around pathetically. Albus watched frozen as Scorpius leant forward, pulled Rose into his arms, and lowered his lips onto hers.

Albus turned around immediately and ran through the crowds to the portrait hole. He suddenly felt incredibly ill, sick to his stomach and he had to get away. He had to get away from Scorpius, from Rose, from everyone.

After exiting the Gryffindor common room, he ran aimlessly through the school, not caring where he ended up, as long as it was far away from that kiss. When he couldn't run any further, he paused in an empty classroom and vomited.

Once the sickness had passed, he cautiously took a seat, trying not to upset his stomach further by moving too quickly. He couldn't help but play the vision of Scorpius kissing Rose over and over again his head. Why did it bother him so much?

Albus thought back to his dream earlier that night when Scorpius was about to kiss him. He shook his head, trying to clear it from his mind. That was only because of the smell of Scorpius' bed, he told himself. It didn't mean anything more.

He thought back to Scorpius kissing Rose, and his stomach turned. Why would that upset him so much? Unless…unless he was jealous. Unless he wanted Scorpius to kiss him instead.

Albus swore loudly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N Follow me on Twitter for updates and #scorbus love: Queen_of_Thyme


	13. What about Albus?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: TW: homophobic slur. Please contact me if you would like an edited version sent to you with this excluded.

The morning after, Scorpius felt terrible. He opened his eyes warily, unsure of what his surroundings would be. He was pleasantly surprised to find he was in his own bed in the Slytherin dormitories.

He took a deep breath trying to remember the events of last night. That's when he noticed a faint smell of Albus on his sheets. He looked over to Albus' bed instinctively but found it was empty. He frowned.

The events of last night came back to him slowly and out of order. He may have asked Albus to dance with him at one point - he blushed at the memory, he drank way too much, he had kissed Rose...oh no.

Scorpius suddenly remembered that part of the night in clear detail. He had been dancing, or trying to dance with Rose, and he had stupidly kissed her! She had pulled away instantly of course and reprimanded him. Luckily he couldn't remember the full speech. Although, even after that, he remembered Rose escorting him to some Slytherins at the party to make sure he got back to his dorm okay. He wondered where Albus went.

Scorpius cursed himself for his selfishness. He was sure Rose would be furious at him today. Sighing, and then groaning, he got out of bed, clutching his head. He briefly thought that he deserved the pain.

That's when he remembered what happened before his unpleasant fire whiskey episode started. He sunk back onto the bed and put his face in his hands, desperately trying to remove that one memory from his mind. Even kissing Rose wasn't as bad as this.

He opened the drawer to his bedside table and looked at the single piece of parchment sitting inside. He picked it up and read it one more time, just to be certain he hadn't imagined it.

_Faggot._

The word stung as fresh as it had yesterday afternoon when he had received the letter.

He slowly found his feet again, and decided to go find Rose. He had to explain. After showering, he picked up the piece of parchment and pocketed it before making his way down to the library.

Scorpius approached Rose in the library slowly. She didn't look up, although it was clear she was aware of his presence as her body stiffened coldly.

"Rose-" he began tentatively.

"How dare you," she said finally looking up at him. "How much clearer do I need to be? I told you I wanted to be friends. _Friends_."

"I didn't-"

"I'm not flattered anymore Scorpius. I know you can't turn off your feelings and I wouldn't ask you to, but if you cared for me at all, you would respect my boundaries. If your feelings for me make it too hard to be around me, then fine, we don't have to be friends, okay? Problem solved. Now leave me alone," she said angrily turning back to her studies.

"Rose, I don't have feelings for you," Scorpius said quickly before she could interrupt again.

Rose narrowed her eyes suspiciously, not looking up from her books. "Then why would you kiss me Scorpius?" She asked coldly.

"You know that anonymous letter program?" he asked timidly.

Rose's curiosity got the better of her and she looked up - she didn't know where this was going. "Yes?" she said impatiently.

"I got this letter last night," he said quietly, placing the piece of parchment on Rose's open book.

Rose looked down at the parchment and widened her eyes, her anger at him quickly turning its focus on the writer of the letter. "Who sent this?" she asked, her hands shaking in anger.

"I don't know," said Scorpius miserably sinking into the seat across from Rose.

Rose softened, looking at Scorpius in concern. "Are you gay?" she asked quietly. "You don't have to answer if you prefer, it's okay," she quickly added as an afterthought.

"Yes," Scorpius replied covering his face with his hands.

"How long have you known?" Rose asked curiously.

Relief flooded through Scorpius as he realised he finally had someone to chat to about this, someone who didn't seem to be treating him any differently. He took some time before replying. Rose waiting patiently, understanding this conversation must be difficult for Scorpius and not sure if she had asked too much of him.

"It wasn't until I spoke with my mum this summer that I fully understood what I was feeling," he answered finally.

"Your mum?" Rose repeated softly, concerned.

"Well... her portrait." He explained. "A muggle one I mean. We don't have any wizarding portraits of her. Mum said they were a poor imitation of life and she didn't want... Still I wish we had one. Would have made chatting to her easier."

"Oh Scorpius, I'm sorry. You can talk to me if you like...as long as you don't try to kiss me again," she added cheekily.

"No offence, Rose, but I really don't want to kiss you again. I'm really sorry about last night. It was selfish. I had hoped it might feel different when we...but I guess you're not my type," he said smiling weakly.

Rose laughed. "What about Albus?" she asked suddenly.

Scorpius' eyes widened in panic. "What about Albus?" he repeated.

"Have you told him?"

"Oh." Scorpius relaxed. "No. I was going to but now I'm not sure."

"You should tell him," urged Rose, " He'd understand."

"I don't want to lose him, Rose," admitted Scorpius quietly

Rose scoffed although not unkindly. "You should hear the way he talks about you - _My best friend this, my best friend that_. There is no way this is going to make him not want to be your friend, Scorpius. That's ridiculous."

"Wait, Albus talks to you about me?"

Rose smiled wickedly. "Well he doesn't talk to me...he...er...writes to an anonymous student...who he doesn't know is me."

"Rose!" he exclaimed shocked. "How do you know it's him?"

"Please. It's not like he did a very good job disguising his identity. He told me stories about his family who also happen to be my family so it wasn't that hard to figure out. And on top of that he talks about you all the time - _my best friend is really good at Arithmancy, my best friend is the kindest person I've ever met, my best friend taught me how to skip stones, my best friend helped me with transfiguration notes, my best friend_ -"

"Does he really?"

"Yes," said Rose exasperated, "so please believe me when I say this isn't going to change anything. Tell him."

"Alright," he conceded, "I'll tell him.

Rose smiled brightly. She looked down at the letter Scorpius had placed in front of her. "Incendio," she whispered.

They both watched as the parchment curled in on itself, obscuring the message before disintegrating into ashes.

 


	14. What is wrong with you?

Scorpius walked back slowly to the Slytherin dormitory. Although he was set on his decision to tell Albus he was gay, he didn't see why he had to rush it. Logically he knew that Rose was right about Albus, but at the same time he had this horrible persistent feeling that this could mean the end of their friendship, and he wanted to stay friends with Albus Severus Potter for as long as possible.

His heart was pounding as if he had just completed a marathon when he finally ascended the stairs to his Slytherin dorm. He scanned the room quickly and found Albus alone on his bed reading one of Scorpius' muggle books. This surprised Scorpius.

"I didn't know you liked muggle books," said Scorpius, trying to sound casual as he leant up against Albus' bed post.

"I don't," Albus replied without looking up.

Scorpius frowned. He hadn't even started confessing and this was already going terribly.

"I didn't see you this morning," he tried again.

"I went to breakfast early," Albus said expressionlessly as he flipped a page.

Scorpius sat down on the edge of the bed nervously. "Albus, I have something I need to tell you."

Albus finally looked up, but didn't say anything. He just stared at Scorpius blankly.

Scorpius frowned again. "This was so much easier with Rose," he muttered sighing.

Albus' expression suddenly distorted to be replaced with obvious anger. "Why don't you go and find Rose then?"

Surprised, Scorpius stood up leaning away from Albus. "I didn't mean...Albus, I really want to talk to you about -"

"Well, you've obviously already spoken to Rose about it so I don't know why you need me," he said aggressively, folding his arms.

Scorpius looked as if he might cry. "Albus, please! I'm sorry I told Rose before you. You're my best friend, I want to talk to you!"

"I get it, Scorpius. Clearly your one day old girlfriend is more important than your best friend of five years," he said coldly.

"My girlfriend? Albus, what are you-oh." Scorpius finally pieced it together. Was that why Albus had disappeared last night - he had seen him kiss Rose?

Albus sneered cruelly. "Yeah everyone saw it."

"Albus, it's not what you think. I don't fancy Rose."

Albus scoffed. "Scorpius, I don't care. Do whatever you want. Go snog your girlfriend."

"Albus, please listen to me," he pleaded desperately.

"Sod off, Scorpius. I don't want to talk to you," he said aggressively.

Scorpius, looking as if he were about to burst into tears, ran from the room.

As soon as he left, Albus threw the book he had been pretending to read against the dormitory wall and cursed loudly. He immediately regretted the way he spoke to Scorpius. He had been a right arse, but he just felt so angry.

He knew it was jealously that was making him angry but he didn't know how to control it. Albus had only just realised his feelings for Scorpius last night and seeing that kiss - it made him livid to think about it. He knew he'd have to avoid Rose as well, or his temper would get the better of him again.

He jumped up, not being able to sit any longer. He paced back and forth across the dormitory, giving Scorpius's bed post a kick for good measure. He immediately regretted this, just as he regretted his words to Scorpius earlier.

Albus let loose a few choice swear words before leaving the dormitory. He knew he had to calm himself down then find Scorpius to apologise. He decided to go to the Great Lake - he found that always calmed him.

However, when he got there he realised the Great Lake didn't calm him at all. As he leant up against a tree, he thought back to all the other times he had been here and felt so peaceful. It suddenly dawned on him that he had been with Scorpius all those times. It wasn't the lake he'd been watching.

Albus cursed. He wished he could go back to yesterday morning before he had realised his real feelings. Everything would be more difficult now. How would he even be able to talk to Scorpius and Rose, or sit next to them together, or see them kiss again?

He heard footsteps behind him and turned his head to see Rose and Scorpius approaching the lake. They obviously hadn't seen him behind the tree. Not now, Albus thought.

Scorpius looked up and met Albus' eyes. Albus noticed that Scorpius had obviously been crying and he felt incredibly guilty. He wanted to run to his friend and comfort him, but it was clear Rose was already attending to that. He felt his jealousy taking over him again and he desperately tried to calm himself.

Rose suddenly looked up and saw Albus as well. She scowled. "Albus Severus Potter. You absolute jerk."

"Rose, don't," said Scorpius softly.

Rose marched towards Albus, ignoring Scorpius. "What is wrong with you?" she asked.

Albus rose to his feet to meet her. 'Sod off, Rose," he said, irritated, trying not look directly at her. Stay calm, he told himself, stay calm.

"No, I will not sod off, Albus! What in Merlin's name did you say to Scorpius?"

"Did he come crying straight to you, did he?" Albus flinched as soon as the words were out of his mouth. He was only making things worse.

Rose looked ready to murder Albus, but before she could reply, Scorpius reached out to her, trying to pull her back. "Leave it, Rose," he said, not looking at Albus. "Let's just go."

With one last scowl at Albus, Rose let herself be dragged away by Scorpius back up to the castle. Albus watched them go bitterly.

He sank back down to the ground, putting his head in his hands. He cursed. Suddenly reminded of Scorpius' swear jar, he cursed again.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N Follow me on Twitter for updates and #scorbus love: Queen_of_Thyme


	15. There is no right moment

After leaving Albus at the Great Lake, Scorpius and Rose made their way up to the library instead.

Rose was livid. "Can't believe he's being such an arse about it. I honestly thought he'd take it fine. What's his problem?"

"I didn't tell him," Scorpius said quietly.

"You didn't t- then why is he acting like that?" asked Rose perplexed.

"He saw me kiss you last night. I think he's jealous," Scorpius explained.

Rose's eyes widened and she started to smile.

"No, not like that," Scorpius said hastily, realising what Rose must have thought. "He's jealous because I told you what was going on with me before him."

Rose blinked at him surprised. "That's stupid."

Scorpius shrugged.

"Scorpius! You can't let him push you around. You need to stand up for yourself. Tell him he's being an arse," she said.

"He's right though. I should have told him sooner," Scorpius said sadly.

"Scorpius. There's no excuse for the way he's acting."

Scorpius sighed. "I guess."

"You're too nice," said Rose.

Scorpius rolled his eyes.

"Yes, you are," she urged "especially when it comes to my cousin. I love him but he can be a right arse, and needs to be told that."

"You already did that," said Scorpius cheekily.

Now it was Rose's turn to roll her eyes. "I'm not going to be around every time you and Albus have a fight."

"We never fight," said Scorpius.

Rose looked at him pointedly. Scorpius shrugged.

"Go find Albus. Tell him to pull his head in and then when he turns back into a normal human being, tell him about you."

Scorpius frowned. Why did this have to be so hard? "Not today, Rose. I can't face it. Maybe tomorrow?"

"Scorpius! You'll never tell him if you keep waiting for the right moment."

"There is no right moment."

"Exactly," said Rose looking smug.

Scorpius sighed. For what felt like the third time in as many days, he decided to tell Albus he was gay. Although, first he would tell Albus what an arse he was as Rose insisted. Scorpius laughed to himself. Yeah right, he thought.

He looked back at Rose, pouting. "It doesn't have to be right now though does it?"

"Don't pout at me," she said trying to stay rigid. "Oh alright," she conceded, "You might as well wait for him to calm down first. But today is the day you tell him."

"Today," Scorpius repeated nervously, dropping his head to the library table.

"What is wrong with my brother?" He suddenly heard Lily ask from behind him.

"What isn't?" smirked Rose.

"Nothing, don't worry Lily," said Scorpius pulling his head from the table and shifting in his seat to look at her.

Lily raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms. "He's pacing back and forth by the Great Lake and swearing almost constantly."

"Nothing new then," said Rose.

Lily stared at Rose with a knowing look.

"He saw Scorpius kiss me and now he's mad," Rose admitted.

"Rose!" yelled Scorpius.

"What? You did it in public. It's not like it's a secret."

Scorpius sighed. "It seems like Albus was the only one who saw it. Just my luck."

"Are you two together?" asked Lily frowning as she looked between Scorpius and Rose.

"No I'm not his type," said Rose automatically.

"Rose!"

"Oops."

Lily was smiling wickedly.

"Lily?" Scorpius asked hoping her reaction didn't mean she had caught on to Rose's implication.

"Good. You two would make a terrible couple."

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Rose.

Lily only continued to smile which infuriated Rose.

Scorpius interjected quickly. "Do you think maybe you could talk to him, Lily? I think he needs someone to talk to but I'm not his favourite person right now."

Lily nodded. "Sure," she agreed kindly before leaving.

"You're too nice," said Rose again while watching Lily leave.

Scorpius turned to Rose accusingly. "I am not telling you anything ever again."

Rose looked ashamed. "Sorry."

Scorpius sighed. "It's okay. I don't think Lily caught on anyway."

Rose thought otherwise but decided it was probably wiser not to mention it. "Do you think you'll come out soon though?" she asked instead.

"Come out of where?" asked Scorpius obliviously.

"Are you're going to tell everyone you're gay?" she asked.

"Oh!" Scorpius blushed. "No. I don't want…why would I do that?"

Rose shrugged. "I don't know. Might make dating easier? It's up to you of course. I'll keep my mouth shut going forward I swear."

"Dating's not really…well not that it matters…I just don't want…just don't say anything to anyone, please Rose."

"My lips are sealed." Rose said miming the motion of locking her lips and throwing away the key.

"Okay, thanks. I think I'm going to go back to the dorm and wait for Albus."

Rose nodded. "Good idea,'" she said and then added as an afterthought, "Good luck!"

Scorpius grimaced as he left. Once again he found himself walking slowly back to the dormitory. He doubted Albus wouldn't be back yet but on the off chance he was, there was no need to rush back to talk to him.

When he arrived, he was both relieved and disappointed to find Albus was not in the dormitory. He collapsed onto his bed with a heavy sigh.

He suddenly noticed something out of the corner of his eye. He looked up to his bedside table to find a new piece of parchment sitting there. Scorpius froze.

He considering throwing it away immediately, or just ignoring it, which would be the rational choice, but he was desperate to know what it said. There was also a small pathetic part of him that thought it might include an apology or explanation. Even though he knew it was unlikely he couldn't help but hope.

Scorpius took a deep breath, trying to convince himself it didn't matter what it said anyway. He slowly picked up the letter, and unfolded it with shaking hands. Immediately, he felt an incredible burning sensation on his fingers, his palms, slowly making its way down his arms. Before he could react to the pain, everything went dark.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow me on Twitter on updates and #scorbus love: Queen_of_Thyme


	16. No running in the corridors

When Lily found Albus, he was still at the Great Lake but he was now lying on his back just beside the water. He looked as if he might be sleeping but as Lily approached she could heard him muttering curse words under his breath.

"What are mum and dad going to say about using inappropriate language in front of your young impressionable sister?" she teased as she quietly sat down on the grass next to him.

Albus stopped swearing but didn't move and continued to stare at the sky above him.

"So I hear you're jealous?" Lily started.

Albus' eyes widen in alarm, and he looked over to Lily quickly. "Who said that?"

Lily smiled. "Rose said you were jealous because you saw Scorpius kiss her."

"And because he is confiding in her and not me," Albus quickly explained, hoping to move on from the topic of this kiss.

"They're not together, you know," Lily said gently.

"What?"

"Scorpius and Rose. They don't fancy each other," Lily clarified.

"Then why-"

"Maybe you should talk to Scorpius," Lily suggested.

Albus sighed and turned his head to look at the lake. "He probably doesn't want to talk to me right now. I've been a jerk."

"Scorpius is more than you deserve, Albus. He told me to come talk to you because he's worried about you."

"Oh." That really was like Scorpius, Albus thought. Albus had been the arse and yet Scorpius was still worried about him and his feelings. He really was incredibly nice. Albus sighed, he had it bad.

"So what's the deal, Albus?"

Albus snapped his head back to Lily. "What do you mean?"

"There must be a reason why you're so upset about a little kiss -"

"And-"

"Albus, don't pretend like there is any other reason please. I'm not a fool."

Albus blushed and turned his head back to the lake, trying to hide his face from Lily.

When Albus didn't respond, Lily ventured further. "You like Scorpius don't you?" she said gently.

"Of course I like him. He's my best friend why wouldn't-"

"Cut the crap, Albus."

Albus turned back to Lily, face red. "Yes," he admitted.

Lily smiled, her eyes gleaming.

"It's nothing to smile about Lily. It's awful. I didn't even realise until I saw that stupid terrible kiss and now I don't know what to do." Albus whined.

"Albus, don't be so dramatic. Just ask him out," Lily said casually.

"WHAT?"

Lily shrugged. "Why not?"

Albus sat up staring at Lily incredulously. "It could ruin everything."

Lily rolled her eyes. "I'm certain it won't."

"Easy for you to say. So you want me to just walk right up to Scorpius, who clearly fancies Rose whatever you say, and ask him out so he can awkwardly tell me he's not interested and then we can spend the rest of our friendship tip-toeing around the subject and never getting too close, so as not to give off the wrong impression." He took a breath. "That's if there even is a friendship after that. He might be too weirded out to even talk to me anymore. He'd probably end up getting closer to Rose and I'd be even lonelier than I am now."

Albus lay back down exhausted.

Lily frowned at her brother. "Albus, you and Scorpius are best friends. You spend almost every waking minute together except when you're fighting about absolutely nothing. You must know Scorpius well enough by now that you know he wouldn't just abandon you, no matter whether you asked him out or not. You're being completely illogical and overly dramatic."

Albus opened his mouth to protest. "Yes you are," Lily interjected before he could.

Albus wanted to scream at her in frustration. Like he could just ask his best friend out. Like he could just waltz up to him and kiss him, like Scorpius had to Rose. Although, he thought, alcohol would definitely help it along. No, he thought, firmly. He would just have to get over his feelings and move on. That was all there was to it.

"ALBUS!" yelled a distant voice. "ALBUS!"

Albus and Lily looked up to see Rose running towards them looking frantic. He instinctively looked around for Scorpius but couldn't see him. When Rose got close enough, he could see tears in her eyes, and his heart stopped. Scorpius, he thought.

"Come on Albus," Rose yelled grabbing onto Albus' arm and trying to drag him in the direction of the castle, "Scorpius is hurt – he's in the hospital wing."

Upon hearing those words, Albus suddenly unfroze and he was bolting to the castle, not bothering to wait for Rose or Lily to catch up. All his anger and jealously had completely disappeared to be replaced with fear.

He didn't even know how badly Scorpius was injured. He cursed himself for not getting more information off Rose but there was no way he was turning back now. He sprinted through the corridors, shoving other passing students out of the way. There was no time to be courteous, all he wanted was to get to the hospital wing and see Scorpius.

He bolted through the doors of the hospital wing to an astonished cry from Madam Pomfrey who quickly reprimanded him. "Mr. Potter! No running in the corridors, and especially not in the hospital wing. You should –"

"Scorpius?" he interrupted her breathlessly, panting from having run so far.

Madam Pomfrey nodded curtly, taking pity on Albus, and showed him to Scorpius' bed immediately.

Scorpius lay unconscious, bandages covering his hands and arms. Albus approached him cautiously, reaching out to gently hold a bandage covered hand. He looked at Madam Pomfrey, "What happened?" he asked.

"Undiluted Bubotuber pus," she said sternly. "Depending on the age of the plant, it can cause anything from small welts, to large yellow boils, to severe burns. I suspect this was an older plant as Mr. Malfoy has been burned quite severely and must have fainted from the pain."

Albus looked back at Scorpius horrified. Thinking of his friend in that much pain made him feel incredibly sick. Another thought came to him suddenly.

"Why was he touching Bubotuber pus?" he asked Pomfrey frowning.

"Albus," Rose entered the hospital behind him breathing heavily.

Albus turned to Rose desperately. "How?" he asked redirecting his question at her.

"Mitchell found him in the dorm passed out and brought him straight here. He said that he was surrounded by the pus and also…there was a letter. Albus, I think someone sent it to Scorpius deliberately to hurt him."

Red hot anger boiled up inside Albus. He took one last look at Scorpius before storming out of the hospital. He didn't have a plan, all he knew was that whoever did this to Scorpius was going to pay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow me on Twitter for updates and #scorbus love: Queen_of_Thyme


	17. Who?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: homophobic slur. As before, contact me if you would like a copy of this chapter with the word excluded.

 

Albus wanted to kill somebody. Only problem was he didn't know who he should be focusing his anger on. Trying to calm down slightly so he could think rationally, he worked to problem solve the issue.

How could he find out who Albus' writing partner was? Maybe there was a reveal spell? No, if this was designed by the teachers, it would take advanced magic to counteract it. Maybe he could write a letter in return and follow it? No, his own writing partner had said they had anti-following charms. Surely the teachers would know who was writing whom, particularly in case issues like this arose? Yes, that was it.

Albus turned and quickly changed direction. Before he had been charging through the halls aimlessly, now he was heading straight for the Headmistress' office. Upon arrival he swore in frustration. He didn't know the password.

He really wasn't in the mood to shout random sweet names at the gargoyle entrance, so instead he proceeded to kick the shit out of the statue whilst cursing profusely. Although not very effective, it did seem to make him feel better.

"Albus Potter," Headmistress McGonagall said sternly from behind him, "What do you think you are doing?"

Albus turned around quickly, pleased to see the Headmistress and not at all concerned about what he had been caught doing. He hardly noticed the deathly glare on her face. "Headmistress. Thank Merlin. You need to tell me who Scorpius' writing partner is."

McGongall looked shocked. "I do not need to do anything Mr. Potter. You, however need to follow me into my office now." She turned to the gargoyle. "Sherbet Lemon."

The gargoyle sprung to life, and both McGonagall and Albus were transported upwards as the stairs they stood on began moving.

"You don't understand, they hurt –" Albus began as they entered the office, but he was interrupted.

"Sit!" said McGonagall coldly. "There is no excuse for such foul language or violence, Mr. Potter. That was completely unacceptable. Now please explain why you think you can come to the Headmistress' office, try to vandalize the entrance and rudely demand information which you have no business knowing?"

"They hurt Scorpius. They sent him a letter with pus in it and he's in the hospital wing unconscious, and it's all because of your stupid letter writing program. You need to tell me who you signed him up with so –"

"I need to do no such thing, Albus," she said, although she had softened slightly. "What you've told me is very serious and will be up to the Professors and I to handle.

"But-"

"Albus. After seeing your actions towards the innocent gargoyle downstairs, do you really think I am going to let you loose on another student?"

"Headmis-"

"Stay here until you've calmed down, Albus. I will consult with the other Professors and handle this immediately." McGonagall ordered before leaving the room.

As soon as the Headmistress was out of earshot, he swore loudly. He heard some grumbles from the surrounding portraits about his language but he didn't care. Did McGonagall think he was just going to sit here and wait while the vile student who did this to Scorpius was walking around without a care?

He jumped out of his seat and ran to McGonagall's desk. Perhaps she kept a list somewhere. Surely there was written evidence somewhere with the student pairs noted. He rifled through the papers on the desk and all the drawers – at least the ones that would open. With each drawer he became more frustrated, and left an ever greater mess. The office portraits were shouting at him now.

"Such disrespect!"

"Well I never!"

"Boy, stop what you're doing right now."

Nothing. There was nothing. Albus growled in frustration. Well, he wasn't just going to wait here. He stormed out of the office angrily, not sure what to do next.

Who would want to hurt Scorpius? He was so kind to everybody. Albus was just thinking he might have to interrogate all the fifth to seventh years when he ran into his brother James at the bottom of the office stairs.

"James!" he exclaimed surprised.

"Albus, I need to tell you something," James said, uncharacteristically nervous.

Albus shook him off. "Not now, James. I'm busy." If he was going to interrogate everyone, it would take quite a while and he wasn't feeling very patient.

James grabbed hold of Albus' arm as he tried to pass him. "Albus, it's about…Scorpius."

Albus whipped around so fast he almost lost his balance. "What do you know?" he asked urgently.

Looking incredibly guilty, James looked away from his brother and instead focused on his own feet. Albus' eyes narrowed.

"I didn't know he'd take it this far. It was just a joke, Albus. You have to understand."

"Who?" asked Albus coldly, his fists clenched.

James continued. "I mean I knew about the first letter but we just wanted to scare him. Stop him hanging out with you so much."

"The first letter?" asked Albus surprised.

"Oh, you didn't know." James shuffled nervously. "It was nothing. Just-"

"What did the first letter say?" Albus said, trying to stop his voice from shaking. His fists were clenched so hard, he thought his fingers might go numb.

Closing his eyes, James whispered quietly, "Faggot." Saying it aloud made it seem so much worse, and shame washed over him. He looked anywhere but at his brother.

"Who?" Albus repeated his question again. It took every bit of self-control he had not to strangle his brother right then and there.

James looked at the wall above Albus' head. "Connor."

Without another word, Albus turned away from his brother and ran towards the Great Hall. It was almost dinner, meaning most students, including Connor, would be on their way there now.

Albus had never felt such incredible rage towards one person before. If he was thinking clearly, he would have realised he could never take a seventh year in a fight, or even a fifth year really. However, his mind kept flashing between the image of Scorpius unconscious in the hospital and Connor's cruel smiling face. He was going to wipe that stupid smile off Connor's face.

Entering the Great Hall, Albus skimmed over the Gryffindor table quickly. No Connor. Cursing, he turned around towards the Entrance Hall, and that's when he saw him. He was laughing as he walked into the hall, no idea that Albus was coming for him.

Albus pulled out his wand and stalked towards him. "Connor," he called out coldly.

Connor looked up in surprise, and his gaze flickered down to Albus' wand drawn at his side. With a sneer he pulled out his own and muttered, "Expelliarmus."

Before Albus could react, his wand was pulled from his hand, and he was now facing Connor, weaponless. He ran towards Connor and pushed him up against the archway of the Great Hall.

Connor didn't bother defending himself. He was twice Albus' size physically and he was the only one holding a wand. He laughed as Albus struggled to hold him against the wall.

"Come to defend your boyfriend, Albus?" he asked teasingly.

Albus stared at Connor coldly, having to tilt his head up to look him the eyes. "You will not talk to Scorpius. You will not send him letters. You will not even look at him. Do you understand?"

Connor laughed. "I'm so scared, Albus," he said mockingly. "Even with your wand, you're weak. Your father defeated Voldemort and you can't even block a simple spell."

Rage overcame Albus and his hands shook as he clenched his fists. Suddenly Albus felt a sharp pressure against his chest. He looked down in surprise to see one of Connor's shirt buttons had popped off, and the rest were following quickly. Connor's entire body was slowly inflating. His wand clattered from his hand as his fingers became too swollen to grasp it.

Albus stepped back, but looked into Connor's terrified eyes and seized the moment. "You will not talk to Scorpius. You will not send him letters. You will not look at him. Do you understand?" he repeated.

Connor opened his mouth to speak, but instead let out an involuntary whimper as his feet began to rise from the floor. He had inflated so much he was starting to float now, higher and higher. He hit the top of the entrance way and bounced, floating around into the Great Hall, headed for the enchanted ceiling.

Albus leapt for his wand from the floor, without thinking, just knowing that he had to stop this somehow. He could feel it was his magic causing this, his rage, but he couldn't control it.

Upon grasping his wand, the magic seemed to falter and suddenly Connor had popped back to his regular size. Without the inflation he was no longer floating and instead hurtling towards the ground. Albus lifted his wand urgently but he couldn't think of a single spell to help.

"Levioso" shouted a voice from behind him. Albus turned to see James had followed him into the Hall, and had charmed Connor so that he was hovering a meter from the floor. With a lazy flick of his wand, he ceased the spell, causing his friend to fall the last metre flat on his face.

Connor looked up, his nose bleeding, and met Albus' eye. Understanding passed between them. Satisfied, Albus left the Great Hall swiftly, ignoring his older brother as he brushed past him.


	18. Don't be absurd

Albus quickly made his way back to the hospital wing. After losing control with Connor, his rage had diminished, mostly. Now he just felt guilty. Scorpius was lying unconscious in the hospital wing without him. He shouldn't never have left his best friend's side in the first place.

The more he thought about it, the more he realised this was all his fault. If he hadn't let his jealously overpower him, he wouldn't have argued with Scorpius. He would have been with him when he found the letter. He might have been able to stop it. Or not. At least he would have been there, he thought. He really was a shitty friend.

Entering the hospital wing, he rushed to Scorpius' bedside. Rose and Lily looked up at him from where they sat beside Scorpius, with worried faces.

"Albus?" questioned Rose cautiously.

"It was Connor," he answered distractedly, leaning down to gently hold Scorpius' bandaged hand again. He looked at Lily. "And James knew," he added bitterly.

Lily pursed her lips and rose from her chair. "Excuse me," she said politely, leaving the hospital, her face unable to mask her anger.

Albus took Lily's seat, still holding Scorpius' hand and turned to Rose. "Any changes while I was gone?"

"No, nothing," said Rose, "but Madam Pomfrey said he'll be fine. His burns will take a while to heal but he should regain consciousness soon."

Albus nodded, looking at Scorpius' face. He looked so peaceful, so…beautiful, Albus realised. He reached out his other hand to stroke the side of Scorpius' face tenderly.

Rose looked at Albus strangely. He quickly dropped his hand.

"Did Pomfrey say he'd be in any pain?" he asked hastily.

Rose hesitated.

"Rose."

Rose took a breath. "A little bit. She said he might be alarmed by it when he first wakes up, but he'll get used to it. She's taken care of the burns as best she can, but he'll need to stay here for a couple more days, and then come back every day for a week or two so she can clean and redress the burns."

Albus returned his hand to Scorpius' cheek no longer caring that Rose was watching. "I'm so sorry, Scorpius." He said softly.

"Albus?"

Albus almost jumped in surprise when Scorpius whispered his name, his eyes still closed.

"Albus, something's wrong. I'm burning, Albus. Albus. You need to go. There's a fire. Albus!" he shouted.

Scorpius opened his eyes and sat up abruptly. Seeing Albus, he tried to push him away. "Albus, go, it's on fire!" he yelled frantically.

Albus grabbed hold of Scorpius' shoulders firmly, looking his best friend in the eyes. "Nothing's on fire, Scorpius," he said gently, "You're in the hospital. Everything's fine. Just lie down." He started to gently push Scorpius back down. "Yes, that's it. Just relax. Everything's fine, Scorpius," he soothed.

"Albus, what's wrong with me?" Scorpius asked fearfully.

"You were burned," Albus explained. "Bubotuber pus."

Realisation dawned on Scorpius's face as he remembered the events from earlier that day. "Oh."

"Mitchell found you passed out in your dorm," added Rose.

Scorpius looked over, noticing Rose for the first time. "Did he say where –"

"We know about the letters, Scorpius," interjected Albus softly, "and who was sending them."

"Who?" Scorpius asked, returning to face Albus.

"Connor," said Albus with distaste.

"James' friend?"

Albus flinched at his brother's name. "Yeah. The Professors are taking care of him," he said quickly.

"Oh."

"Scorpius," said Rose, "I'm glad you're feeling better. I'm just going to leave you two alone for a while. I'll be back soon." She gave him a pointed look and waved goodbye to Albus.

Although she had hardly spoken, Rose's absence made everything suddenly awkward for both boys.

"So," Scorpius began staring at the ceiling, "you know about the…er… _other_ letter?"

Albus clenched his fists, and Scorpius was worried the anger was directed at him. "Yes. _James_ told me," he said bitterly.

"James?"

"He knew about it. He said it was a joke," Albus said shaking. He looked at Scorpius until the other boy met his gaze. "I'm so sorry, Scorpius."

Scorpius smiled weakly, trying to make Albus feel better. "You don't have to apologise for your brother, Albus."

"It's not just that," said Albus shamefully, "You were trying to tell me something and I just shut you out. I was horrible to you, Scorpius. You didn't deserve that at all. And now this. This is all my fault."

"None of this is your fault, Albus," Scorpius said kindly, "And you're here with me now. That's all that matters."

The two friends smiled at each other.

"Albus," started Scorpius seriously, "about what I was going to tell you…"

Albus held up his hand. "No, no. It's fine. If you're not comfortable telling me, I understand. I won't get mad again, I promise."

"Albus, I'm gay," said Scorpius in a rush.

Albus blinked in shock. "You're gay," he repeated.

"That's why Connor sent the letter with…" Scorpius trailed off nervously.

Albus found his face turning red. Relief and excitement flooded through him all at once but he tried to quell his selfish thoughts. Just because he's gay, doesn't mean he has any interest in you, Albus had to tell himself firmly. "Connor sent that letter because he's a dickhead," he said finally.

"So you still want to be friends with-"

"Scorpius," Albus interrupted, "of course I still want to be friends with you. Don't be absurd." A sudden thought occurred to him. "Is that why you didn't want to tell me. You thought I wouldn't want to be friends anymore?"

"Yes." Scorpius nodded sheepishly.

"Scorpius," Albus said seriously, "you're my best friend. The kindest, loveliest, funniest best friend I will ever have. This doesn't change that."

"It doesn't?" Scorpius asked, not being able to stop himself from grinning widely.

Albus returned the grin, and leaned forward to hug Scorpius. It was oddly intimate as Scorpius was still lying down, but neither boy seemed to mind.


	19. Just like that

Rose returned to the hospital wing after dinner, bringing some leftovers with her for the two boys. The three friends were enjoying each other's company, chatting and laughing. After Scorpius' revelation, Albus found Rose's company no longer irritated him at all.

"Albus Potter!" called out an angry voice from just outside the hospital wing.

"Uh oh."

Scorpius looked at Albus curiously. "Why does Headmistress McGonagall sound like she's coming to murder you?"

"Er…no reason," Albus replied nervously.

Rose, having been filled in by witnesses when she was at dinner, knew exactly why the Headmistress sounded angry. "Albus, you better go and get your punishment over and done with. I'll look after Scorpius, don't worry."

"Punishment?" asked Scorpius.

"Never mind Scorpius, I'll be back soon," said Albus. He leant forward and unthinkingly kissed Scorpius on the forehead. It had just felt like the right thing to do. However, as soon as he realised what he' done, he blushed red, and he noticed the same colour on Scorpius' face. He swore internally, and quickly hurried off to face McGonagall.

Rose raised an eyebrow at Scorpius. "What was that?" she asked.

"I…I don't know," he answered truthfully, still feeling dazed from the kiss.

"You two seem very close," Rose said suspiciously.

"Of course, we're best friends," said Scorpius a little too casually.

Rose raised her eyebrow again accusingly.

"Albus isn't gay, Rose."

"Have you asked?"

"Rose!"

"Has he been with a girl?"

"No, but he hasn't been with a guy either."

"Maybe he's holding out for one guy." Rose suggested.

Scorpius scoffed. "Rose, please."

"But you like him," she said knowingly.

"Rose!"

"You do, don't you?"

"Rose!"

"It's okay I won't say anything. You should tell him though."

"Rose!"

"He probably feels the same way."

"Rose, please...please don't get my hopes up," he finally said, admitting she was right.

"Ah-ha!"

"Rose..."

"Scorpius. You need to tell him," she urged.

"I thought we just went through this earlier today. I already told him I was gay. What more do you want from me?" Scorpius sighed.

"How did he react when you told him?" asked Rose curiously.

"A bit oddly at first. His face went all red but after that he was very accepting of it." Scorpius smiled at the memory of Albus telling him he was the loveliest.

"His face went red?" Rose repeated. "Maybe he was thinking of snogging you."

Scorpius blushed. "Rose!"

Rose laughed. "I'm just teasing. But I really think he might like you. He went after Connor."

"He what?" Scorpius shouted.

Rose explained what she had heard from others in the Great Hall about how Albus had threatened and used wandless magic on Connor.

"Wandless magic usually only occurs in adults when they completely lose control of their emotions. When Albus heard about what happened to you…Scorpius, I've never seen him that angry. It was because of you, I'm sure of it."

"I don't know, Rose. I don't want to make him angry."

Rose rolled her eyes. "You're missing the point. You didn't make him angry. Connor made Albus angry because he _hurt you_. Wouldn't you feel the same way if anyone did something to Albus?"

"Yes," Scorpius admitted.

"So you see I'm right, don't you?" said Rose smugly.

"Rose, we're best friends. I already know he cares about me."

"Aright, alright Scorpius. I'm just saying you didn't see me chasing down Connor," she said. "Although," she added as an afterthought, "I'll definitely be giving a piece of my mind to James if Lily hasn't already killed him."

"She definitely tried," said a voice behind Rose, sheepishly.

"James." Rose narrowed her eyes at him, noticing he was now sporting a black eye.

"Can I speak to him?" he asked nervously.

"How dare you come-" started Rose but she was interrupted by Scorpius.

"Rose, it's okay. I'd like to speak to him. Do you mind?"

Rose turned to Scorpius. "Okay," she conceded, "but I'll be right outside if you need me." She gave James one last murderous look before exiting the hospital wing.

James walked closer to Scorpius' bed but didn't sit. He ran a hand through his hair and swore quietly.

Scorpius chuckled. It reminded him so much of Albus.

"How are you feeling?" James asked.

"Good. No pain at all," Scorpius lied.

James looked relieved. "Oh, that's good. I'm glad. Listen Malfoy, I'm really –"

"Scorpius."

"What?"

"My name's Scorpius. Call me Scorpius." Scorpius said firmly, but not unkindly.

"Oh right." James looked rattled. "Er…Scorpius, I'm really sorry. The first note was my idea. I didn't like you being close with Albus and I wanted to scare you. It was stupid and…cruel. I'm sorry."

Scorpius nodded. "James, I really like your brother."

James looked thrown. "Er…right."

Scorpius continued, "And I don't think he feels the same way, but if he did, I really couldn't care less what you thought of it, and your disapproval would not change my actions in the slightest." Scorpius tried to stay confident, but he was slightly shaking with the adrenaline of what he was saying to James, someone who had always intimidated him.

To his surprise, James smiled in response. "Good," he said, "but for what it's worth, I approve."

Scorpius couldn't help but return the smile. "Thanks," he said.

"So I'm forgiven?" James asked tentatively.

"Yes," nodded Scorpius.

"Just like that?"

"Just like that," Scorpius repeated.

"You're too nice for my brother," said James, "Don't let him push you around."

Scorpius smiled again. "Funny, people keep telling me that."

"Because my brother is a jerk."

Scorpius raised his eyebrows.

"Well, I taught him everything he knows," James admitted, laughing.

Scorpius joined in laughing, trying not to flinch at the pain in his arms, which was exacerbated by the movement.

James noticed but didn't mention it. "I better get out of here before Albus gets back," he said instead, "he'll probably want to finish what Lily started." He gestured towards his black eye. "See you around Mal-Scorpius."

"See you around Pot-James."


	20. But not as...um...nice

Scorpius was forced to stay in the hospital wing for another two days while he recovered. Albus stayed with him for as long as possible - he visited between every class, and at every mealtime and spare period. He would only leave after dinner when he had no choice but to attend detention from 7pm each night.

Connor had received an indefinite suspension pending review, and his parents had picked him up and taken him home on the same night that Alus had confronted him. Albus thought this was rather too lenient and that he should have just been expelled outright, but he was pleased that at least he was no longer at Hogwarts for the time being.

Headmistress McGonagall was not at all pleased to find her office ransacked and hear of Albus' confronting Connor against her strict instructions. For this, he had been told he was lucky for his mild punishment - detention every night until Christmas holidays. His parents had also been informed of course although luckily they had only sent him an angry letter rather than a howler.

James Potter, however, had received absolutely no punishment, barring the black eye from his sister. The teachers did not seem to be aware of his involvement. This only served to fuel Albus' anger towards his brother further.

Upon Scorpius' release from the hospital wing the following Saturday evening, the two boys headed towards the Great Hall for dinner. Although Scorpius' arms were still heavily bandaged, the burning sensation had all but disappeared, thanks to some foul tasting potions Madam Pomfrey had provided him with.

As the two friends made their way into the hall, Scorpius excited at finally getting to eat at a table again, Albus came face to face with his brother.

"Albus," James said nervously.

Albus stared at his brother coldly for a moment before putting his arm protectively around Scorpius and steering him away without a word. Scorpius mouthed "sorry" to James awkwardly over his shoulder as he was directed to the Slytherin table.

"Albus," he said seriously as they sat down, "I've forgiven your brother. Maybe you should too?"

"What? How can you forgive him?"

Scorpius looked down at the table nervously. "Well I didn't tell you but he came to the hospital to apologise."

Albus' eyes widened. "Scorpius, I should have been there. I'm so sorry."

"No, no it was fine. It was nice. He apologised, I thought it was genuine so I forgave him."

"Just like that?"

Scorpius laughed at the déjà vu. "Well, it's really hard to stay mad at him. He reminds me so much of you."

Albus rose his eyebrows. "I'm not that much of a jerk am I?"

Scorpius laughed again. "No, no, it's not that. Just your mannerisms, and of course he looks a bit like you but not as…" – beautiful, Scorpius thought – "um…nice." Scorpius looked at Albus nervously, worried what his friend's reaction might be.

Albus had turned pink and was looking down at the table.

Scorpius took a deep breath and quickly cast a silencing charm around where they sat at the busy Slytherin table. You better be right, Rose, he thought.

"Albus, there's something I haven't told you," he started seriously.

Albus, surprised by the sudden silence enveloping them, looked up and met his friend's gaze. Scorpius was tempted to look away, anywhere but in those piercing green eyes, but he forced himself to be brave.

"It took me a while to realise how I felt about…about other boys. It was only last year when I started to want…and all last Summer I was thinking about..." Scorpius broke eye contact and swore softly, thinking he probably should have prepared what he was going to say earlier before starting this conversation.

Albus giggled. Scorpius looked up quickly, panicked.

"Sorry but that's the first time I've heard you swear," Albus explained between giggles. "It was adorable."

Scorpius blushed. "I think it might be your bad influence rubbing off on me," he said, looking away again.

Albus laughed. "I take full responsibility."

Scorpius smiled before taking another deep breath and trying to regain his composure again. "Albus," he said reinitiating eye contact, "what I'm trying to tell you is that I only realised I was gay because…because I started having…um…feelings for _you_."

A million thoughts rushed through Albus' head. At the forefront was surprise. Scorpius had feelings for him too? He felt like he'd only just accepted his own feelings and now here Scorpius was in front of him telling him exactly what he wanted to hear in return. He opened his mouth to respond but no sound came out. Albus was overwhelmed - his stomach was turning, although not unpleasantly, and his heart felt like it was beating in his head.

Scorpius couldn't wait any longer for a response. His nerves and insecurity got the better of him. "I shouldn't have said anything. I'm sorry." He said quickly before bolting from the Hall.

Albus sat frozen in place until Scorpius's silencing charm dropped and the buzz of the Great Hall suddenly washed over him. He jumped to his feet. "Scorpius" he called out pathetically, but it was too late.

Albus mangaged to find his legs and even though they felt like jelly, he ran out into the Entrance Hall, but he already knew he'd never catch up to Scorpius. He tried to think where Scorpius might have gone - surely not to the Slytherin dorms. He'd probably be hiding from Albus now. Albus cursed. Why did he have to sit there like a big idiot when he could have just told Scorpius exactly how he was feeling? It was the perfect moment.

As Albus pondered where Scorpius might be, he suddenly realised he could find the answer easily. Although, it meant he'd have to talk to his brother. He sighed and returned to the Great Hall, not looking forward to what he was going to do next.

James was sitting at the Gryffindor table alone. He had plenty of friends other than Connor who he could have sat with, but instead he was isolating himself, probably out of guilt. Serves him right, thought Albus.

"James," he said through gritted teeth.

James looked up surprised. "Albus! Sit down. I want to -"

"No," said Albus quickly, "I'm not here to forgive you, I just need the map."

"The map?" James asked confused.

"Yes the map. I know you have it. I saw it in your room when I borrowed your invisibility cloak a few weeks ago."

"You stole-"

"Borrowed. Do you have the map on you?"

"Why do you need it?" James asked suspiciously.

"Do you have it or not?"

James frowned but pulled out the Marauder's Map from his pocket. He wouldn't usually oblige but he was desperate for Albus' forgiveness and if this helped…

"Dad only gave it to me to keep an eye on you, to protect you," he explained unnecessarily as he passed it over.

"My brother, the great protector," Albus said sarcastically.

"Yeah, well, for what it's worth, Albus. I'm really sorry," James said genuinely.

"Nothing."

"What?"

"It's worth nothing," said Albus as he walked away, map in hand.


	21. I solemnly swear that I am up to no good

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," Albus whispered urgently as he tapped the Maurauder's Map in the Entrance Hall. He scanned over the map in one sweep, desperately searching for Scorpius's little dot, but there were too many students, too many dots.

He checked the Slytherin dormitories just in case but as he suspected, no Scorpius dot. Althought it was dark, he looked over the Hogwarts grounds and the Great Lake, but again no dot. Searching the corridors and classrooms surrounding the Great Hall also proved a waste of time. Finally his eyes swept over the Astronomy Tower and his stomach clenched – Scorpius Malfoy read the map clear as day, unmoving on the top floor. Perfect.

Albus let his feet take over and he ran through the Hogwarts corridors, trying not to think about what he was going to do when he reached Scorpius, because otherwise his nerves might get the better of him. Before he knew it he was dashing up the tower stairs, ignoring the pain in his chest. When he reached the top, he looked around confused; Scorpius didn't seem to be up here. Albus walked further into the room and he suddenly saw his best friend. He was laying on the floor at the edge, staring up at the stars. Of course.

Albus stopped and caught his breath, looking down at Scorpius. He wondered how it had taken him until this year to work out how he felt. Scorpius was so incredibly and absolutely beautiful. He really was the nicest and loveliest person Albus had ever known. Merlin, don't stuff this up, Albus thought to himself as he slowly made his way across the room to where Scorpius lay.

Scorpius had not moved. If he heard Albus approaching, he did not show it.

Albus dropped down and lay next to Scorpius, letting their hands brush slightly as he dropped his arms to his sides. He felt Scorpius stiffen beside him. Neither boy looked at each other, both staring straight above at the stars.

"The stars look nice," began Albus awkwardly.

Scorpius would have laughed at this but the tightness in his stomach wouldn't allow it. "Mm-hmm" was all he managed.

"I'm sorry about earlier," Albus said softly.

Scorpius closed his eyes for a second, trying to calm himself. He wanted to get up and run again. He resisted the urge and reopened his eyes, focusing on the stars, mentally tracing every constellation he could remember.

"Scorpius, when you said you had feelings for me…do you mean…do you still have feelings for me now?" Albus tried to ask casually but his voice came out in a choked whisper. Luckily Scorpius wasn't looking at him because his cheeks were bright red.

"It doesn't matter," said Scorpius, forgetting the stars and thinking it might be a good time to run.

"No, no, it does matter-"

"I'm sorry that it makes you uncomfortable. I won't mention it again, I promise," said Scorpius quickly. That was it, he had to get out of here. He made to get up, but Albus' arm swung out and gripped his shoulder firmly. He looked over at Albus in surprise, but Albus was staring straight ahead, not meeting his gaze.

"No, no, Scorpius. It matters because…because I like you. I mean, I really like you." Albus dropped his arm from Scorpius and continued to stare straight up at the stars trying to ignore the frantic beating of his own heart. "I've never even thought about anybody else like…well you know…and I didn't understand what that meant until...I guess until I saw you kiss Rose. It made me so angry because I was jealous, Scorpius, so bloody jealous. I'm such an idiot –"

Albus froze as Scorpius's bandaged hand found his and held it tightly.

"Yes, I still like you Albus," Scorpius said quietly, watching mesmerised as Albus expelled a deep breath in relief. Albus turned to Scorpius, catching him staring. Both boys blushed before averting eye contact and refocusing on the stars.

They fell into silence, still holding onto each other's hand tightly.

Scorpius was so nervous he was worried Albus might feel his body shaking. Everything seemed to be working out exactly as he wanted, but now actually living it - laying next to his best friend holding his hand, he was terrified. He didn't know how to act now. Everything seemed different and new. Before a silence like this would have been comfortable for them, now it felt tense.

"I lied about kissing Rose at the end of fourth year," Scorpius said suddenly, filling the silence.

Albus smiled. "Yeah, I figured."

"Even before you knew about-"

"Yes. I mean she hated your guts." Albus thought for a moment. "I think I quite like that she hated you, actually. A bit selfish..."

"I don't mind," said Scorpius smiling.

Albus finally turned his head back to look at Scorpius, his breathing hitched as he took in Scorpius smiling face so close to his.

Feeling Albus' gaze, Scorpius followed suit and turned his head. They stared at each other in silence.

Scorpius tried to control his nerves as he noticed Albus glance at his lips. Albus suddenly shifted his weight - he's going to kiss me, Scorpius thought excitedly - but instead of leaning in towards Scorpius, Albus sat up abruptly and swore.

"What's wrong?" asked Scorpius urgently, sitting up, their hands falling apart. He's changed his mind, Scorpius thought, he doesn't want me.

"I've got detention," said Albus scrambling to his feet, "I've got to go." He ran to the door and then paused, turning back to Scorpius. "Scorpius?"

"Yes?"

Albus hesitated. "Er...I'll see you later."

"Right," replied Scorpius disappointed, "see you later, Albus."


	22. I like hugging

After Albus left for detention, Scorpius lay back down and watched the stars. He focused on his breathing, trying to calm himself after coming undone under Albus' gaze. Although he was still incredibly anxious, he couldn't help but smile to himself as well. Albus liked him. Albus really liked him.

When Albus returned to the dorm later that night, Scorpius pretended to be asleep in his bed. He wasn't ready to face Albus, especially not in a dark room late at night. The environment carried a pressure to it that Scorpius' nerves just couldn't cope with. He sensed Albus hovering near his bed, probably checking to see if he was awake. Scorpius heard a faint curse word and it took all the strength he had not to let out a chuckle. Finally, he heard Albus getting into his own bed, and he relaxed.

The next morning Albus and Scorpius walked down to breakfast together. Instead of their usual laughter and chatter, their conversation was forced and polite. Their hands brushed each other's more than usual but both boys pretended not to notice.

Once they sat down at the Slytherin table, they were both relieved to be joined by Rose. "Morning, Slytherins," she called cheerily as she sat down. "How was your first night out of hospital, Scorpius?"

Scorpius blushed, looking at Albus quickly before turning to Rose. "Fine."

Rose narrowed her eyes, sensing she was missing something. "Okay…" she said turning to Albus. "What about you Albus? Happy to have Scorpius back?"

Now it was Albus' turn to blush. "Of course," he said quietly.

Scorpius could see Rose was trying to meddle for him, not realizing he had already told Albus how he felt. It was only making him feel more awkward. He quickly excused himself, pretending he needed to go to the bathroom.

Rose watched Scorpius hurry away before turning back to Albus. "What in Merlin's name was that?" she asked suspiciously.

"Oh," said Albus, still blushing, "we're kind of together."

"Kind of?"

Albus fidgeted nervously. "I think we got together last night."

Rose nodded knowingly. "So how was it?"

"What?" Albus said confused.

"The kissing!"

Albus eyes widened and his blush darkened. "We haven't…we didn't…" he stammered awkwardly.

"You didn't kiss him?" Rose asked astonished.

"No, I was embarrassed. It was awkward."

Rose narrowed her eyes. "You do want to kiss him, don't you?"

"What? Of course I bloody well do," Albus said defensively.

"Sorry, Albus, I'm just checking. If you're experimenting or something, be careful. Scorpius really likes you."

"I'm not experimenting Rose. He's the only one I've ever thought about -"

"Then go and kiss him," she said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Why do I have to do it? Why can't he kiss me?"

"Scorpius is way too shy. He'd never-"

"He kissed you! And what if I'm shy too?"

Rose sighed. "So you want your first kiss to be while he's drunk on firewhiskey? You both obviously want it. It's awkward between you two because you're both nervous about it. All you need to do is go find him and snog him senseless. Problem solved."

Albus swore. Rose stared at him, eyebrows raised.

"Alright, alright, I'll go...find him. But I can't just walk right up and kiss him. It has to be the right moment."

Rose snorted. "You'll be waiting a long time, Albus."

Albus sighed.

"Hey, Albus?"

Albus and Rose looked up to see James approaching the table. Rose rolled her eyes and Albus turned back to his food, ignoring his brother.

James didn't take the hint and sat himself down next to Rose, across from Albus. "I know you're still mad, Albus, and you have every right to be. I just need you to know I'm sorry, okay?"

Albus looked up at James. "You really hurt Scorpius."

James sighed. "I know."

"I'm keeping the map."

"Oh," said James surprised, "okay, sure."

Albus almost rolled his eyes. His brother was never this accommodating. Usually he was just a jerk.

"If you say one wrong word to Scorpius-"

"I won't."

"If you even look at him wrong-"

"I won't."

"Okay," said Albus nodding.

"So….you forgive me?" James asked cautiously.

"No," said Albus, "but I will."

James smiled in relief. It was progress.

"I want the invisibility cloak," continued Albus.

James laughed. "Nice try," he said, winking at Albus before heading back to the Gryffindor table.

"Jerk!" Albus called out after him.

Rose glared at Albus.

"What?" he asked.

"You let him off too easy."

Albus grimaced. "Scorpius forgave him."

"Scorpius is too pure for this world," said Rose jokingly.

"Yeah, he is," said Albus distractedly noticing Scorpius had just re-entered the Great Hall, "Excuse me."

Albus made his way over to Scorpius determinedly, desperately trying to maintain some form of confidence to follow through with his plan. When they reached each other, Albus grabbed hold of Scorpius hand and pulled him back towards the entrance. "Come for a walk with me," he said with false casualness.

Scorpius was surprised but delighted. "Okay," he said nervously, hoping Albus wouldn't notice how his voice was shaking. He let Albus escort him through the halls and outside to the Hogwarts grounds. They made their way to the Great Lake in silence, hands held tightly.

Near the edge of the lake, Albus stopped abruptly and reached out to hold Scorpius other hand, so that they were facing each other, both hands intertwined.

"There's something I've wanted to do," said Albus carefully, looking into Scorpius's eyes.

"Me too," replied Scorpius softly.

Albus looked at Scorpius lips and knew he wanted nothing more than to snog Scorpius senseless, like Rose had suggested, but he hesitated. Why was this so hard? He closed his eyes and swore quietly.

Suddenly he felt a light pressure on his lips and his eyes flew open in surprise. Scorpius was kissing him and his lips were on fire. He kissed Scorpius back awkwardly, having absolutely no clue what he was doing, only knowing that it felt amazing.

After a moment, Albus took a step back to catch his breath, however still held Scorpius' hands firmly in his. "Do you realise that all this time we could have been doing _this_ instead of hugging?" he said breathlessly.

Scorpius chuckled, and pulled Albus into a tight embrace. "I like hugging," he said grinning.

Feeling Scorpius' warm body up against him, Albus couldn't help but agree. "Maybe we can do both?" he suggested cheekily over Scorpius' shoulder.

Scorpius laughed again and pulled his head back slightly so they were facing each other. Albus tilted his head and let Scorpius lean in and kiss him again.

"You're good at that. Sure you haven't been practicing?" teased Albus.

Scorpius rolled his eyes. "Well, there was that half a millisecond kiss with Rose. It really improved my technique."

Albus giggled. "Your technique? Do you mind showing me? I'm not quite sure what you mean…"

Chuckling, Scorpius kissed Albus again, this time more passionately than before, bringing a hand up to run it though Albus' hair. When they finally came up for air, both boys were breathing heavily.

"At least take me on a date first," joked Albus.

Scorpius grinned. "Albus Potter, will you go on a date with me?"

Albus pretended to think about it seriously and Scorpius laughed.

"That's alright, I might go ask Rose instead then…" said Scorpius jokingly turning away.

"Oh no you don't," said Albus pulling him back, "you're taking me on a date."

"Now?" Scorpius asked.

"Yes."

"But we've got class!"

Albus pouted.

"Albus!" Scorpius exclaimed laughing, "I am not cutting class to take you on a date."

Albus made a point of sighing very loudly and dramatically.

"Albus!"

"Alright, alright," conceded Albus, "we'll head back but don't forgot you owe me a date."

Scorpius rolled his eyes. "Albus, you'll get plenty of dates. I've got a never-ending jar of silver sickles in our dorm and I plan to use every single coin on you."

Albus grinned widely and purposefully dropped a few random curse words.

Scorpius shook his head laughing. "You do realise they're your own sic…oh whatever, keep swearing."

Albus shrugged but stopped swearing. "So when's our first date, Scorpius?"

Scorpius chuckled. "Lunch?"

"And we can do more of this?" asked Albus excitedly.

"If you mean hugging and kissing, most definitely," agreed Scorpius.

Albus smiled so wide his cheeks started to hurt. "I think I'm going to like being both your best friend and your boyfriend."

Scorpius grinned. "Me too, Albus."

 

 

**The End**

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!  
> [my tumblr](http://queenofthyme.tumblr.com/)  
> 

**Author's Note:**

> Hit me up on [tumblr](http://queenofthyme.tumblr.com/) for more drabbles and things or check out my other works on ao3 <3  
>   
> More like this:  
> [The Books That Make Us Smile (14k)](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9247064)  
> [What were you going to say, though? (2k)](http://archiveofourown.org/works/8891104)  
> 


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